The post-gay debates: Competing visions of the future of homosexualities

Sexualities scholars and cultural critics debate whether or not the United States is moving toward a "post-gay" future in which sexual orientation will cease to be relevant to a person's social position, life experiences, and conception of self. While some have argued that a post-gay revolution is underway, others are more skeptical of this claim, particularly for rural, non-White, poor, and otherwise marginalized queers. Further, recent political shifts may indicate that a backlash to the mainstreaming of nonheterosexualities has begun, meaning any progress of the past that might be labeled post-gay has stalled or even lost ground in recent years. In addition to the question of whether there has been a post-gay turn, there is disagreement over whether such a turn should be the end goal of sexualities activism. Some champion a post-gay ethos as a means to alleviate sexuality-based discrimination while others critique this kind of assimilation and argue it actually intensifies inequality and stratification. This article explores the history of these post-gay debates and discovers significant conceptual confusion inherent in the use of the term, which limits its utility as a social scientific concept. In addition, we argue that despite the better intentions of some scholars who take it, the post-gay position ultimately buttresses homonormative strategies of social and political activism that actively exclude marginalized queer and trans people. We suggest that to the extent the concept of post-gay remains academically relevant, it is as a descriptor of a particular politics or discourse rather than as a statement of fact about the contemporary era.