Openspace: to be born gay or to become a fag. Why aren’t we ‘born this way’?

19.00/ loft Com.nata, Obvodny canal embankment, 136

LGBT+ rights movement often refers to the idea of the inherited human sexuality: we have the right to be the way we were born. However, over the last few years, the so-called ‘born this way’ argument has started losing its strength and apparentness. Biologists refuse to keep looking for a homo-sexuality gene. Queer theorists and practitioners demonstrate that our sexuality, and to an even bigger extent identity, is primarily based on the cultural and historical contexts.

The social-constructivist approach causes anxiety amongst LGBT+ people. Examining categories of gender and sexuality through the lens of culture and history often resembles homophobic arguments from the discourse of ‘homosexual propaganda’ prohibition.

During this lecture, we will discuss the differences between ‘sexual constructs’ and ‘homosexual propaganda’, and we will look into some problematic sides of the idea of choice (or the lack of it) regarding sexuality and gender identity. Additionally, we will try to formulate some new arguments against homophobia and pro LGBT+ rights from the social-constructivist perspective.

Host: 

Nikolay Gorbachev LGBT+ activist, author of Telegram channel ‘Dream Homos’. Associate researcher for the Centre of Gender Studies ESU