From leading Hollywood lady to originator of the infamous wire coat-hanger scene from 1981's tell-all biographical film "Mommie Dearest," Joan Crawford has been a prominent figure in showbiz. Crawford also stands as an icon in the gay community, with a multitude of fan websites trafficked in particular by gay men obsessed with her glamour and her "strong woman" image.
Yet beyond the chat rooms and the adoring photo galleries stands the question of why such a community exists among gay men. Why do gay men create such icons for themselves, and what can we learn about human sexuality from the gay male perspective?
This type of exploration into gay subjectivity, and its broader implications for the study of human sexuality, is the topic of this Thursday evening's lecture by University of Michigan professor David Halperin. Professor Halperin's lecture, entitled "Mommie Dearest: Joan Crawford and Gay Male Subjectivity," is the latest installment in the ongoing Queer Studies Scholars Series, a program sponsored by the Tufts LGBT Center.
Professor Halperin's lecture is the capstone on a week of events that focus on gay male culture as found in film, including a Tuesday evening screening of Joan Crawford's 1945 film "Mildred Pierce" and a Wednesday luncheon discussion called "Queer 101."
According to LGBT Center Director Dona Yarbrough, the Queer Studies Scholars Series is designed to expose Tufts students and faculty to noted scholars within the queer studies discipline and to foster the discourse on queer theory on the Tufts campus. Professor Halperin is considered a national leader in the queer studies field.
His lecture "Mommie Dearest" explores, in his own words, "the uses that gay men have made of Joan Crawford ... [The lecture] will try to discover what those uses tell us about the subjective life of those gay men who have been fascinated by this one Hollywood icon."
While Halperin's lecture focuses on the iconography of the gay male community, his area of expertise - queer theory - is not a discipline that only studies patterns among gay men. As Tufts English professor and author of the new book "No Future: Queer Theory and the Death Drive" Lee Edelman said, "Queer studies is an umbrella term for a variety of methodological and disciplinary inquiries that examine how uninterrogated hetero-normative assumptions effect the construction of what we identify as 'knowledge' or 'value' or 'truth.'"
Dona Yarbrough, who will be teaching a course next fall entitled, "Introduction to Queer Studies," likewise considers queer studies as multidisciplinary and broadly functional. "People who 'do' queer studies look at history, literature, film, politics or whatever subject they are studying, through the lens of queer theory, a loosely-defined body of work focused on sexuality and gender," she said.
Yarbrough said, "Queer studies is particularly concerned with how identities are socially constructed and regulated, including the construction and regulation of heterosexual as well as gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender identities and practices."
While queer studies began developing as a discipline nearly 20 years ago, its instruction at American universities today continues to draw heated criticism and debate. Professor Halperin is no stranger to this discourse, and his 2003 University of Michigan English course entitled "How to be Gay" drew national news coverage and vehement opposition from a variety of educators, social conservatives and politicians. Opponents to the course cited, among other points, questions regarding the public monies that fund the University of Michigan and taxpayers' feelings about paying for a course that studies a lifestyle which may contradict their values.
Tufts senior Alex Weissman, an American studies major and proponent of queer studies at Tufts, cited the development of a queer studies curriculum at Tufts as necessary for rounding out the options the University provides for the study of cultural and social groups and trends. "[Queer studies] has grown through other schools of thought like feminism and post-structuralism and provides intellectually challenging criticism of society," he said.
Weissman also views queer studies as a field that can enhance learning opportunities for students in a variety of academic disciplines. "Last year I took a biology class in which we discussed the biology of homosexuality. I found the discussion extremely problematic, with homophobic comments coming from students and unintentionally heterosexist framing of the discussion. Queer studies would have provided more avenues for dialogue in this case and given students a broader perspective on sexuality."
From biology to the gay male iconography of Joan Crawford, proponents of queer studies curriculum see queer studies as a path to a broader understanding of the human experience. The challenge now for queer studies scholars and supporters is to redefine questions of what "should" be studied at the university level, a definition which many supporters hope will eventually include the culture of "queers."
