Sexuality, Queer Theory, and 'Feminism After' - Reading and Rereading the Sexual Subject

Abstract

Although some scholars no longer see a place for feminist theory in analyses of sexuality, this article shows that there are lessons to be learned by examining queer theory through the lens of feminism. The author undertakes several feminist and then queer theory readings of the film Secretary and the divorce case, Twyman v. Twyman. This article shows that feminism, despite being sometimes perceived as "anti-sex", can be helpful in understanding sexuality. The author argues that feminism may sometimes need to suspend its focus on gender. She also shows how bringing gender back into the analysis can shed greater light on how law and society deal with sadomasochism and other forms of sexual expression. While her discussion is structured mainly along disciplinary lines, she suggests that it may be time to worry less about intellectual territory and more about intellectual trespass.