In defense of queer nation: Fromidentity politicsto apolitics of difference

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Abstract
In this essay a distinction is drawn between the gay and lesbian liberation movements and the more recent queer movements. Advocates for the liberation movements generally have argued that gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals are not radically different from heterosexuals. Representatives of the new movements, in contrast, have argued that queer individuals are unique and that oppression is not justified based on sexual differences. The paradoxes of traditional identity politics are examined. Queer activists construct a collective identity based on differences rather than similarities. Queer Nation, by reconceptualizing the notion of identity, transcends the essentializingand totalizing nature of identity politics.