Re(2): amnesia and sexuality

From: Diane Hodges (dhodges@ceo.cudenver.edu)
Date: Mon Aug 21 2000 - 07:27:08 PDT


hi all,
anyone following this line might have noticed that Tatiana and i agreed
that
amnesia might result in a loss of sexual identity - that is, sexuality
could change as a result of amnesia -
well, last night it hit me like a starburst, - how improbably that is.
really. i mean,
that kind of thinking admits to sexuality as a learned behaviour,
and all the gay folk i know understand themselves as gay because they ARE,
not because they learned it, but because that is their disposition, and
really, if you think about it,
who in their right mind would CHOOSE to be queer? in a world of homophobia
and hate crimes and the other atrocities committed against queers,
including our absence from
social conscience and history and so on.

i have to think that amnesia would NOT affect sexuality, that a person who
is queer,
and is stricken with major amnesia, might find herself socially presumed
to be a het,
but would, at some level, experience this as wrong, -
i mean, i don't see how amnesia would alter sexuality at all, now that i
think about it -
which makes the story even more interesting,
because of course, depending upon who the person was socializing with
after having lost her memories of who she was, who she desires would
become quite interesting.
as i say, the het assumption would be that she is straight,
and the queer assumption would be that she is queer - whoever finds this
woman
and tries to help her with either accommodate her sexual preferences and
desires,
or attempt to rewrite them against her desire.
hmmmmmmmm.

diane

   **********************************************************************
                                        :point where everything listens.
and i slow down, learning how to
enter - implicate and unspoken (still) heart-of-the-world.

(Daphne Marlatt, "Coming to you")
***********************************************************************

diane celia hodges

 university of british columbia, centre for the study of curriculum and
instruction
==================== ==================== =======================
 university of colorado, denver, school of education

Diane_Hodges@ceo.cudenver.edu



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