Honorary speaker Cathy Cohen of the University of Chicago hosted a dynamic lecture on the social, economic and racial intricacies associated with queer politics and the larger LGBT political agenda.
Each year the University of Chicago awards a faculty member with the Iris Marion Young Distinguished Faculty Lecture. Cohen was selected as this year's recipient for her work and academic contributions. Cohen opened her lecture with admiration for the late Marion's diligence and body of work. The two women shared an office suite. Even now, Cohen noted that she "went to her [Marion's] work for challenge and inspiration" for her own daily work tasks. Before continuing, Cohen jokingly advised guests that she will not produce your run-of-the-mill, "detached, scholarly talk of U. of C."
The lecture explored three main areas of interest: race and marriage; death and rebirth; and inauguration and liberation. Regarding the first topic, Cohen spoke of the demonization of single moms and other groups of people or behavior that deviates from the norm. Concerning the LGBT fight for same-sex marriage, Cohen said that not only does same-sex marriage perpetuate the norm but also privatizes public responsibility, thus furthering the concept of a norm and the doling out of rewards and punishments for anyone who follows or deviates from that norm.
She went on to expand on how race is related to marriage and social norms. According to Cohen, because Black children may not come from two-parent homes, this paints a picture of deviation and makes them "vulnerable to state power." However, she added,"In the age of Obama, the Black nuclear family is coming back."
Cohen used such examples as the violent, tragic beating of Fenger high school student Derrion Albert and the suicidal hanging of 11-year-old Carl Joseph Walker-Hoover in her segment about death and rebirth. Cohen went on to question guests about the LGBT political agenda regarding who should be the face of queer politics or "who are we comfortable using as the face of queer politics." She also noted that neither victim identified as gay.
Hate-crime laws are not a deterrent, according to Cohen. Cohen turned to Seattle University School of Law professor and transgender activist Dean Spade's analysis of hate-crime laws, concluding that such regulations are brought by a justice that target the very people they are suppose to protect. Gender JUST (Gender Justice United for Societal Transformation)a local, grassroots advocacy group for young LGBTQA people of colorchallenged Cohen to think about queer politics in a different way. The group opposes hate-crime penalties and anti-bullying measures, also adding that neither method acts as a deterrent.
"I'm in awe of how students applied their education," said Cohen.
In Cohen's last lecture segment of inauguration and liberation, she said she believed that education should create spaces for liberal, open thinking. Cohen ended with declaring that the LGBT political agenda should to in a more radical direction and away from its current neoliberalism approach and thinking. Even though people, as a whole, have come a long way in race and politics, Cohen said that full normative assimilation or just fitting the norm is not an option for Black people.
University of Chicago student Johnathan Lykes sat in on the lecture and believed that Cohen was projecting queer politics as an all-encompassing larger picture for race and social justice.
"You get the realization of a new politics," he said. "Queer politics is a broader understanding and projection of the oppressed. The LGBT agenda should really be about the projections of deviance."