Identity/Time
2 Laws, Special Issue: Legally Constructed Gendered Identities 362 (2013)
15 Pages Posted: 25 Sep 2013 Last revised: 25 Nov 2013
Date Written: November 25, 2013
Abstract
This paper engages the unspoken fourth dimension of intersectionality — time. Using the construction of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) identities as an example, it establishes that identity, as it is lived and experienced, is not only multivalent, but also historically contingent. It then raises a number of points regarding the temporal locality of identity — the influence of time on issues of identity and understanding, its implications for legal interventions, social movement building, and paradigms of progressive change. As the title suggests, the paper asks us to consider the frame of identity over time.
Keywords: LGBT, intersectionality, gay, lesbian, identity, temporal locality, social movements, time, historical contingency, Stonewall, marriage equality, Gay Liberation, identity politics
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