CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2023
| Author | Perry, Britton |
|---|---|
| Title | Queer Nation to Homonationalism: A Discourse on Queer Activists, Nationalism, and Human Rights |
| Summary | During the HIV/AIDS crisis of the 1980s and 1990s, a new form of nationalism developed within the United States known as queer nationalism. The direct-action group Queer Nation, an offshoot of ACT UP, used nationalist and human rights language to unite, instill pride, and increase legitimacy among its members. Queer Nation demonstrated a non-normative, bottom-up form of nationalism that placed queer people in positions of power. Following the height of the HIV/AIDS crisis and in the aftermath of the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks, normative nationalism in the United States incorporated the agenda of homonationalism. This form of nationalism has co-opted gay people in a top-down approach to justify Islamophobic policies in the name of protecting gay rights. This paper examines several primary sources, including oral histories and news reports to investigate how nationalist and human rights discourses factor into queer nationalism and homonationalism. An analysis of findings suggests that queer nationalism can be understood as a category of practice, whereas homonationalism functions as a category of analysis. |
| Supervisor | Miller, Michael |
| Department | Nationalism Studies MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2023/perry_britton.pdf |
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