Institute of Development Studies

IDS celebrates International Day Against Homophobia

17 May 2010 - Susie Jolly

On the International Day Against Homophobia, IDS's Susie Jolly asks, 'What can development learn from queer movements?'

Launched on 17 May 2005, International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO) marks the anniversary of the day the World Health Organisation declassified homosexuality as a mental illness in 1992. People around the world from Lebanon to Cuba, and from Burundi to Slovenia now celebrate the day. IDS is celebrating IDAHO 2010 with the launch of Sex, Gender and Development: Challenging Heteronormativity, co-published with Naz Foundation International.

Sex, Gender and Development: Challenging Heteronormativity presents images and quotations from activists, theorists and international organisations. The booklet considers ways to challenge oppression around gender and sexuality, loosening development's 'straightjacket'. Queer theory and activism provide insights as to how development can do justice to the diversity of people's social and sexual identities, livelihoods and living arrangements - whether heterosexual, homosexual or other formations.

And indeed there is much to learn from queer thinking and experience. I think of a time a few years ago, when I was running a gender training session for women's federation officials in China. As usual with these training sessions, we began with a game to introduce the newly translated Western concepts of sex and gender. Participants were invited to call out any words they associated with ‘men' and 'women'. People called out words such as 'strong', 'handsome', 'father' and 'moustache' for men, and 'pretty', 'tender', 'menstruation' and 'womb' for women.

We then discussed and divided these into those associations which were biological (moustache, menstruation, womb, etc.) and those which were social (strong, pretty, etc.). I explained that 'sex' was biological and could not be changed, but that social characteristics, including 'gender', were socially constructed and as such could be changed, giving scope to challenge gender differences and inequalities.

But I kept getting stuck on the moustache. I kept thinking about how some men don't have enough facial hair to grow the moustache or beard they want, and some feel inadequate because of this. And the reason many women don't have facial hair is because of social pressure to have a hairless, 'feminine' face, and the interests of the cosmetic industry in selling us hair-removal products.

I began to wonder what would happen if instead of me, a 'Western expert', bringing in these rather dubious ideas (which were in fact already being challenged on a conceptual level by queer theory), we all just went to the tongzhi (queer) bar downtown. Here, people were playing with sex and gender roles in ways which were far more radical than the framework I was trying to introduce. Some tongzhi guys were calling each other 'sisters', and some lala (lesbians) were talking about how they liked to play the man's role in or out of bed, or the woman's, or neither.

And in recent years, there have been increasing exchanges between the Chinese women's movement and tongzhi organisations, which have indeed sparked new understandings and alliances. A lot can be learned from queer movements!

Susie Jolly convenes the Sexuality and Development Programme in the Participation, Power and Social Change team in the Institute of Development Studies (IDS).

Photo provided by the Naz Foundation International.

Related Publications

• Khan, S. and Jolly, S. (2010) 'Sex, Gender and Development: Challenging Heteronormativity'

Related Projects

• Sexuality and Development Programme - Supporting the realisation of sexual rights and access to basic services for those facing poverty and injustice (Ongoing)