25/04/2011 Cruising Utopia : The Then and Ther…

lhe Future 15 in the Present

So:ua! Avam·Garde5 and rhe Performana o/ Uropia

FUTURITY CAN 6[ "problem. Hotoro",,,",l rultu... dep<nd. on"

notion of ¡he fulu..., .. ,he 00"8 go<>, ·,he <lUld"n ...., oo. futu",,· Bol
thlt i. not ¡he <as< fe, dilf...nt culture. uf "nI.! di..id.nco. R.ther tn.n
¡m'." in a dofernd future, lh. que.. citireo-.ub¡e<:! 1.00" to Ii"" in ,
p",..,nl tlu. ¡, c.libr:lled, througli ,he protocol, of ,tite power, lo ..erifice
oor I¡,.. n... for wh.lt LlU",n il<rlm' ha. ,,!IN! lh. "d.ad citirenship' of
hetero..xu;¡lily.' Thi. de.d citiunship i. fonn;¡tted, in p;ut, tlirough lh•
..<rinco uf lh. pre,enl for a f>nt••m;¡'ic fulu..., 00 oi! d.nce floo~ .ile<
uf public ><1, V>fiou. tli••lriGlI >t.g<'>, mu.ic r..lival., ..,d >re.,.. both
.obte"..,,,.., md .bo",S'ound, que." Ii,.., 1.00" .ud en;¡cl que<, wor1d.
in lh. p",.. nt. Bul mLlS! lbe futuro ..,d ¡he p",.. nl exi.! in lhi. rigid bi-
o..yl Cm ,he futore .lo¡> ""iog" fmtny of herero>tlu.1 "'production?
Jo thi. chlpler [ >rgue for lhe dhruptioo uf thi. bin;oriud logle >nd the
en.ctment of wh.t [ call, f01l0wing C. L R. j=.., • fulu", io the preseot'
To «11 fur thi. notion ofthe future io the preseot i. to .ummon. ",fuoc-
tiooed oobon of ulopi> io the ..rvice of .ub>ltem politk•• C<ruin perfor-
nuoces uf que., citize""hip cont>io wn.t [ ",11 m >nlicip.lory iIlumin>-
tioo of • queer worlJ, ••igo of .0 .clu>lly ru>liog queer ",.Iily, • kernel
of politic>1 possibilit)· wilhio • >lultifyiog herero'elu>l preseot [ gestu",
to .it.. of embodied .od performed que., politic. IDd describe tbem >JI
outpo'" of .cltully ui.ling que., worIJ•. The ,ire,. J coo>ider ;ore .it.. of
""". g>theriogs, perform>nce. th.lt G1n be undernood >JI defi>otiy public
md g1impses ioto .n ensemble of soci.1 .clor. performing • queer world.

The Pa>t fur the Futu,,,, Queer HapP""ing,

J begio this >lt>dy uf lhe futu", in the present by turniog to the I""t
S=uel R. o.lIDy'. memoir 1h< .~!oljoo 01
Light jo lI~r" periodile' the

Muñoz, Jos? Esteban. Cruising Utopia : The Then and There of Queer Futurity.
New York, NY, USA: NYU Press, 2009. p 62.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/unalbog/Doc?id=10425196&ppg=62
Copyright © 2009. NYU Press. All rights reserved.
May not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except fair uses permitted
under U.S. or applicable copyright law.

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25/04/2011 Cruising Utopia : The Then and Ther…

.d",nt of po>tmodemity tb.roos'> lh...idenco providod by two mod", of

,,'.nl-gardo p<rfomun«. lh",. p<rforrnm«. do mo... th>n ...p.....nt ID
.pi.l.mic u.i~; tb.ey e""bl. lh. memoiri.l to procure. ne... vi.l. on lh•
...orld. lh....riler de><rib.. im.g•• from ru. th.n p..... nl (now squarel)'
lh. pasl}, md the.. piclu.... purch... • vision of th. fulu.... [ ....nl to sug-
11''' lh.l th perforrnm«. tb..t .... d.ocrli>ed by o<Lmy .nnouncod .nd
.n.ctN! • n forrn.tion ...ithin the socuL
Th. fint of th... p.rfomun........ h.ld in • S.eond Ayenu. stt>dio
.¡=lm.nl in ¡,;"'" Yorl<'. E..l Villlg. durin¡; the .ummer of 1%0. o<1>n)'
and. mu.in h>d stumbled on. p<rforrnm.. of A1lln K.pro...·, enlitl.d
"Eis'>t..,n H>pp<ning> in Sil: Parts."]j,.as th. fint timo th. ""rd hopp'"-
ón¡: h>d b••n u.N! in. p<rronn;¡n« cont.. t. o<lmy ..pllin.d th>l "nun)'
lim•• no... K.prow·, pi... (1O<!>y "''' would c.U il p<rfornun. . . rt) ¡,.,
b.en dl<d by hi"orUnJI •• th. "'I""lly arbilrary lranrilion b.tw..,n lh.
modern .nd lh. postmodern in cu1turil d<velopm.nl>. But J don't b.li""
]'''' ....d. finth>nd .eeOlint of il by.ny of il, original ."dien«."' How-
<ver, lhe m.moirist h•• mi...d ",me of the mo" int.,esting Kcounts of
lhis p.rfomun.. gen..., for tb.e ... i. in bct. f...in;¡ting Ilte...tu ... chrom-
eling .nd documeuling thi•• ni.tic mOYem.nt· Dellny', .<counl i. non.-
lh.l." v.l""bl•. He rem.mben enlering.n 'p.nmenl th>l "'... bien up
by polyrthyl.n. w.Jl. on p.inlN! wood f...mes. lh... mil. dhided lh.
perror""",« 'p'« into.u s<elion. of .boul eight feet by .is'>l fe.t. Th•
..ction. were >c«"ibl. from. door-wid on tb.e out>ide bnl "''''''
..¡=.IN! from one .noth., by .. milranoln«nl 11. throns'> which on.
cou1d nuk. ont "lh. s'>",l" of wh.t "'... h.ppening in the .djoining S«-
lion. lhe ... ,..... h.oIf. d01.<n or ... ,.ooden foldin¡; ch>i" in ...h room.
Th. rem.mb<red p<rforrnm« lh.l O<lmy n;¡rnll", eon.ist.d of. ehild',
windnp toy being ..1on th. ground .nd 1.. ron and lh.n wonnd np .gain
and .gain oyer the twenl)'minule running lim. of th. perror""",c<.
Throus'> tbe pll.lic ",..11, th....nnd••nd .is'>ts of olh., h.pp.ning> par-
li.lIy filt.",d inlo lhe ,.riler', enbiel•. H. cou1d nuk. ont lh. bnnery glow
of. G1ndle in on. room. whil. in mother h. h.ard lh. ",nnd. of. drum.
Th. "",iler', ••pect.tionJI "'"... ..,.....Iy eh>U.nged by lhi. perror""",«.
H. ha<! .""med th>l th. ""rl< wonld b. "rich, Dionysim md colorfnl." H•
••peet.d tb.e h.pp.ning> thernJl.I,,,.1o be "f", mo... eompJe., de"",r IDd
probably ,,,rbally bonndabl• ." He ..peeled h.pp<ning. th>t ""u1d erowd
in on on••notb.., .nd form an interconnecl<d bpest'Y of occur",n nd
.ssocutiOnJl rieh in me>ning> and m.aning fOlgments, foil of ", nan«
and o",rl.ppin¡; ......i..ion'. ·pla)fuI, ..ntim.nl.1 and ......nring." y.l lh.

Muñoz, Jos? Esteban. Cruising Utopia : The Then and There of Queer Futurity.
New York, NY, USA: NYU Press, 2009. p 63.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/unalbog/Doc?id=10425196&ppg=63
Copyright © 2009. NYU Press. All rights reserved.
May not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except fair uses permitted
under U.S. or applicable copyright law.

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25/04/2011 Cruising Utopia : The Then and Ther…

worx n. .ncount.red w....p...., dillicult, minim;ol, collStiluled lug.ly by

.'-n«, isolalion, oven di>lr>ction,"' D.Ia"}' .zpeclN! lh••h parn to b.
ehronologically ordered,hk•• ct. in. p1.y, but thoy were inst••d 'l"'tially
orgmiud, Delany writ.. th.t "~ w•• preci••ly in thi••u¡"'..,"¡on of ':<p«-
l..ion••l>oul th. proper ">lhetic .mplopn.nt of tilO', 'p'co, pre..n«,
'Men«, wholene.. and fr>gmenl.tion, •• we1l .. th. generalloc.hty of
'wh.. h.ppen.; lh.l m.de Iúprow'. woek Dgnify: hi. h.ppenings_dick_
ing toys, buming emdl••, pound.d drum., or wh...,..,r_were orgmiud
in th.l init1.l worl< very mueh hu hi.loeical ....na... o.la"}' .<lmi!:> th.l
his HpeetatiollS ",..,ce form.d by • mod.mi.l de';re to "'" ·m.mingfol
pl.nitude; rel hi. di..ppointment w.nN! oneo h. had found lhe time lo
eonlemplate K.prow'. pro;'ct, work lh.l he foond lo b. ·more int...,ting,
.lrenuoo. and •••lhetie.1I)' enorgctic" De1.n)' eondodes his recoll.ction
b)' e1.iming lh.l "·Eight..n H.pp.nings in Si. p.n' w...!>oul •• eh.ue-
l.ri>lic • worx .. one mighl ehoo.. in which to "p"ri.n« lhe eluh th.l
begim our re.ding of lh. hug<1r Mbitmy po.lmodem."
fut ,,'ant-g:ud. performance i. inlim.lely linud to moth.. mode of
·h.ppening· lh.t occuro 1.t.. in lh. m.moir. o.lany w•••lorlN! to tlu.
particuLu performance venu. by. painter fri.nd in th. E.,t Vill.lge, Hi.
fri.nd Simou had lold hilO .bout lh. truck. puud b)' the river al lh••nd
of Chri:lloph.. Stre.l ... placo lo go .. night fur illStanl ""., Once th•
•ulbor P"''''' lh. lruek'. lbre'¡'old, h. diseo..red th.l, on. r"lluw- b.:o-
.is, bet",....n 35 and ISO lOen slipped tbrough the trail.", ..,me to ",..lch
bot m",t to particip.t. in "nurnberl....iknt """ual oc!:>: De1.n)' d.scrib..
lh••• Kl> •• rilu.l. th.l recollSlructed intimKJ': ·Al lh.... tim••, ",ilhin
lh",. van-w.1Ied .n.Y'. no"," bel",....n lh. trudr., no"," in th. Nek oflh.
open l",d.". eock p"''''' from mouth to moulh lo Iwld lo ... to moulh
withoul over bre.king eonlocl wilh otber tl•• h for more th.n ..cond"
mouth, hand, ... p....d over wh.lover )"OU held oul to lhom, ."" inter-
.li«; when one cock leJi:, finding. rep1.cem.nl_moulb, rectum, anolber
eock_required mO'o;ng lh. h••d, lh.hip, lbe h.nd no more th.n.n ineh.
lhr« ineh....• Thi. se.n. i. deocril>ed .. ".ngro..ing," "ezh.lu.ling; "....-
.uring," .nd "very human: The ",~it ....plaillS h"",' lh. m.n in thi. 'P'co
loo!< eMe of one anotn.r nol only by offering tleoh bul by p.rfonnin¡;.
eMe for tn. ..lf th.l .neomp.>5ed. ".>1 eMe for oth.,,_. delie.le .nd
lovin¡; ·being for othe,,'"
D.lmy fono",~ lhi. deocription I"'g<' 1.l<r ",ilh another rel.llin¡; of
poblic "". performmco•. On hi. fu>l vi.il to th. St Muk'. B.lho, De1.n)'
.neount..ed • ",..,Il-lit m... of por,..,n•. Lighling m.de • diff..en« in..,f.,.

Muñoz, Jos? Esteban. Cruising Utopia : The Then and There of Queer Futurity.
New York, NY, USA: NYU Press, 2009. p 64.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/unalbog/Doc?id=10425196&ppg=64
Copyright © 2009. NYU Press. All rights reserved.
May not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except fair uses permitted
under U.S. or applicable copyright law.

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25/04/2011 Cruising Utopia : The Then and Ther…

a. tn. pi." op<..tO<! ond" the eover of a prolecti'" darime...hat al..,

""pt th. m..uveoe.. ofth. ero...d >v.ibbl.. [o th;, re'peet h. comp.re.
th. pi." '0 Kaprow', "Eigbl«n H>ppeoing> io Si. Parto." In tn. more for-
nully th••trical happening, "no ooe ..., got to >e< th. ",hol." beca"".
insti.ulion. such ...ub...ay iohn., th. lrueb ¡=xO<! on th. CM.topber
Slre.. pi", pomo¡;r>plúe lhe.ters, and oth., io,titu.io"" of public.n ac-
commod>tO<! th••• perrorm;¡nce, by runiog .hem up, by nuking sure th>t
the whole W>JI di.toned, Jn .he blo< Iighl ofthe SI. "l>rx'. Balh'lOmething
"'... confirme<! d«ply for .he then twenty-yur-old budding >ei<oce-ficlion
",~it.r: "Whallhi, ..perieoce >aid "'.. th...b<re ...... popubtion_not
of iodividu.1 homosenl')" ..,me of ...hom now aud then enc""nt.,O<!, or
thal tbOl' enmunte" could b< humm .nd fulfilling in .heir w>y_ool of
hundred., not of th""..nd" but ",.h., of million. of g>y men, .nd th>t
hi,tory had, >eli",I)' and .Ire.dy, erealed for u• ...hole gall.,i<. of io,titu-
tion" good .nd bad,'o accommod>te our >e.,""
Thi. >ectioo of Motio" of úi"l i" 1V~k'r i. erili<¡ued by hi,lori.;¡n Joan
w.llach Scott, who oddly employ> tlll. memoir >JI m eLlmple of &lY hi.-
torr', reliance 00 unrecon.lructO<! n>ruliv.. of np.,i.nce, fixed id.nti.)"
md "the visuaL"" (U.. Dugg:m ha. already pointed out Ihe in>ppropri-
alen... of miling .ueh m ''lIum.nt on gay >ud ""b"", hi'lory ba>«l on
a wrilei. ooolietioo memoir,)" Seo" a"empls io h., artide lo I"'rti.;¡lI)'
reeml he< reading of Delmy, ret ohe u1.imat.ly f.iI. to mmpreb<nd th.
autbor'. projee!. Th. Kaprow pi.ce t.ugb. D.bey. v.lu;¡ble I...on abou.
the w>y in which publie cullure;, cut up tbrough.b< i""ti.u.ion. of the
nuiorit>ri.;¡n public .phere, Th< happ<niog tbemati..d viuoo to oh""" tb<
"'''Y' in ...hich viuoo i. eon..antly mmpromioed, Mo.1 ofDelmy'. memoir
narrat.. tbrough a Iúpro...ian unde"tmding oflhe ali'n>.ion .nd :«groen-
talion .hat ehaacteriu the real, Hi. momeol of >e<iog tbe ...hol. of pub-
Iie ... i,. ulopian break in the narr.tiv<_it i•• d"'ialion from .he t.. t'.
dominanl mode of n>rulion, ?cblic ,.. cullure rev..led th. . .i,tence of
a queer world, md K.pro...', happ<ning ..plnne<! .he "'''Y' in whieh .ueh
u.opian vi.io"" ...ere mntinuo""ly di,lort.d, DeLmy ..pwn.lhat "the fir>t
apprehenJlk>n of ma><ed bodi«' ,ignal. a dire<t >en>e of politicil power,
Thi••pprehen.ion debuoX' domilunt ideolog)", duuet.,izatioo oí an.i-
normali...ub;eet-ciliu"" •• "ilOb.e<! perven.:" K.pro...', performance
md tbe pi." ",,,,re adjacen. Iuppening> .hat pre..n'e<! only .hades of the
...hol.; the blue ligbt of .he bathhou>e offere<! • gliml'" of utopi..
J lum to tlll. m.moir of the uni., .. th;, p>rtieubr moment beca"".
it ech<><> .he ongoing .ttaek on euitur« of "nI.1 di..idence lhat N....

Muñoz, Jos? Esteban. Cruising Utopia : The Then and There of Queer Futurity.
New York, NY, USA: NYU Press, 2009. p 65.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/unalbog/Doc?id=10425196&ppg=65
Copyright © 2009. NYU Press. All rights reserved.
May not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except fair uses permitted
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25/04/2011 Cruising Utopia : The Then and Ther…

York Cily i. rurr.utly .....Ihering, lb. d=ooim rul. of nuyo' Rudolph

Giuli>ni ..... th. inotilulioo of • rolicy ,h.1 ",roo.d Ihe v..1 m.¡ority of
public.ex oul of Ih. e1ly. N l.""" d",e<! down moo! .dult boohlor..,
b...., movie Ih..te", peep oho ;ond p<rtornunce 'p.e.. ,h.1 f..lu",d
"xu.!1y ori.ol.d perform;oneo_ool only fem.!< .I'ipp<" .1 .I..igh' 1>...
bu' go-go bol" .1 quee, <1ub.. lb. e..ekdowo 00 public .ex ..... p;ul of
Giul"n.i's notonoWl "qu.!ity of lile e;unp.ign," 00... emied on uude, Ih.
nu).....hip of Mich.el Bloomb.rg. lb. venueo De1.O)' .mployed to "'"
"Ih. 1lUJI.e<! bodi... ,h.1 ugn.:le<! poIilic.l pow" h.ve beeom. 1wU.. md
h:ud.. to glimp«. Jo m;ony ....ro Ih. f"'gmeobtiou tlul ... ill elur.el.rize
Ihio N.... York Ci'y', cultu", of public ... ",ilI be f;u mo", ili.n.ling IbID
Il>.t de><:,ib.d io D.1.ny', ehrooid. of p",-Slon.....:l1 New Yor!<, Whil.
oo,nu'i.. middle-el.. b;.-cl> .nio)' • pom-f",. Mmluom, e1tizeo-
.ubjecl> wbo p.nicip io Ih. ",meo ecouorny of th••," indusI')' o"",'
'rren.oeo. I.vel of Iur meut ,h.1 ...,p..... eveo t1u1 exp<ri.nced b)'
olh......g....o,h...ueh t",.. veodo" .od tui dnve". Giuli>ni in..i-
lule<! • "'''S. of rolici.. tlul d;unped dowo 00 ,hu", profe..ioo... _11,
induslri.. Ih.., Iik. llut of .," wo,h.., .'" h.,,;ly popu1.'ed by people of
colo"
Jo ,h. 1.'e J99O< lim.. s<¡uMe .utered il> 1m pI>..< of ...h.. J IuIfiok-
ingly ,.JI "1.1. DiUl.yfie"ioo." "lID)' loc.:l .dult lnuioe.... "''''''', ;ond coo-
tiuue lo be, rep1.ee<! wilh mo'" corro"''' "'p",,,ut.tion, ...rh .. Dom.)'
.10"" .od Sbrouck. f..oehi"". Qu.." .od oth.. minon,.,;.o .ubjecl>
routiou.to be pWlh.d further inlo!he p'iv.te 'Ph."" D<lmy, in hi. u"",'
d • .,;c 'exl TI""" Squo", R,d, Tim<> Sq""", BlIl<", ti><ori>ed ",h.t h. r.:lb
"rout.el ,e1.tio",," •• opp"'e<! 'o n<lwoooog. D<I;ony'. ,h.,;. i•• lurid
md I"""",rful one: "Giveo Ih. modo of "pil.lhm uude, ""'ieh we Iive,
Iife i••t ~. mo" ",,,,...roiog, produetiv<, ;ond pl ol ...h.o Ih. g,..le.1
oumber uf peopl. uude"tmd, .pp",d.I., .od k out in..,d... rout.el
md rommunir>tioo coodurted io. modo of good ",i1l."" Delmy', wor!<
h.", u.,,, hi. ''P.n.oeo . . . p.nielpm' io Tun.. Squ'''''' .11.=li,,,,
.rotic ecooomy of public.ex .. Ih. prim.ry eLlmpl. of ronbct ,e1.tioM.
lbrongh .oonymon. md ooo<>oonymow .oronuter.. lhe ",~iter exp..i-
.ored in.....ction. ,h.1 coo.lilul.d pow.rful ""'.-.." ;ond inl.,d... coo-
l.e!' lbe roning uf romm.,e1.1 "'% ruJ'u'" ...iIl .ff.rti,,,,ly ,ep1.ce Ih"".
,e1.tiorul ...i,h b.uir uelwooong. A ..li.n' eLlmpl. of u<l...oooog;ond!h.
o.... Tun.. Squ'''' i. ,h....bu,bm touriili ...bo...., <hutrl.d iolo ,h. city
in l;ug. 'on, bwes. Ou !he bu< Ih.y inl...rt .%<1u.i"'o/ ...ilh olh.. touri.1>
...ho Iuve d.rid.d lo ven'u", iolo Ih. big rity. lb"". louri.., migh, Ih.o

Muñoz, Jos? Esteban. Cruising Utopia : The Then and There of Queer Futurity.
New York, NY, USA: NYU Press, 2009. p 66.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/unalbog/Doc?id=10425196&ppg=66
Copyright © 2009. NYU Press. All rights reserved.
May not be reproduced in any form without permission from the publisher, except fair uses permitted
under U.S. or applicable copyright law.

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25/04/2011 Cruising Utopia : The Then and Ther…

bk. in. ohow_let o. ¡mt ...y it ¡, Di.n.y'o JIu: Lio" Kint.t. co'P""t.-
>J>OMOrod ..nue >oeh .. th. AmericID Airline> The....._IDd p<rIupo
SO oul fu, dinne, .1 ch.lin ,est.u"nts >och .. Appl.bee'> or Red Lob.ler.
lb.", touri.!> Iheu oop 0fI lbe bu> IDd ...., ...r.ly d.po.ite<! in th.i, >obur-
b;m hom••. lb. only con,.el 'hey h"" oot>ide of ,h.ir el.... tral. i. with
...p,...nt"i'''. of ,h. ",,,,ico indo>lry ",ho I.>ke thei, ticket. o, o."" th.ir
me.k Thi. ¡, lhe new Tun•• Squ.re in po>l-Gioli;mi New York.
Jt ¡, '>p«t.1I)' di.to,bing )"'1 poli'ic.Uy .0b<rinS lo re.lir< llut th.
1TU)"Or'O ini'i..i.........opporte<! by l1Wl)' &1)' .ot.r>. U ... Dogg.;on h.ls ...-
cently d..cribed thi. ph<nomenOfl o. "",'"''",,'''olivit)''' Du¡;g;m', t.rm i.
me.nt to oucline th. rem.t in'o lbe pri,·... 'phere th.lt con>erv,..i,,, ho-
m""'....:I. h"" p.rticip..ed in, in ID .!fort lo ..>imible;md pem0p' pu,-
clus< o ",...t the I.>bl. ,lul righl-wing &lY pondits >och .. Bmee B.wer
IDd And..w SoIli,·.n long fo,," Such writen ...., the ITUjor .rchileet> of
th. &'Y p"gnuti.m 1 disru» in ch.lpte, l. The brger poinl ...,mole. with
ID ..riier th"",i".tion of "' .:1 o»imiblion. lb.ooo, Adorno, in ID e...y
..concly tr.ndoled .. ·Se .:I T.boo> .nd La", Toooy,' debunk> th. my-
thology of ",h.. he called ·",nuIlib.",'ion." Adorno ..pWrn th.. ",.u.1
libe",tion ¡, "me ... ilIo.ion":

Th;. Hlu""" ....... '''V'h.. ",,,h ,l>< pl><noro.non ",óolog .h._

""".... do-K,i1,." "",h ;" f."'rit. "pro""'" "'o'"!!,",,,o", tl>< ...".
""y "' """',h OOu'];oo'. ,odoty ovoocomo oh. pro""n", oh",,, hy m_
""p<","n& ,h. prolo..n". Rotoo.w ",,;'<y, """"h .. founJo.J "pon
th. oom;n"",o of "'"O< onJ "",", ""m••od J;'dpl;no. th. Jo/fo..
1'.....0'" pnndp" ,ho, ;. homúul ro ,"" ",mI< oth... 00 ovoo ,h. pnn-
<;1'10 of oonun""", ,... lf, no 10"&,' ""o.h tl>< ""tnnchol <om""oo_
mo"t of .b.,;o.",., vupn"y,.OO <ho""y_ On ,h. <en'",)', ...w.!"y,
tumod 00 .nJ otr, ,ho"""loJ .00 "1'10"0.1 'n ,,,,,"<l... rom» by oh.
"'-'totW .00 <u1,u", ;odu".y, <001"""" ","h oh. P""'''' of """;P"-
lolion """fu .. ;';. ID"'rooJ, ,m'''ubo.w;"d.OO ..Jm;u'''"..·.! by
,..doty_ As long •• ,,,uol"y" b,oJl.d,;t ;, ,olo,,,"'¡."

Both Gioli.ni'. ;md Bloomb<rg'o &lY >opport h.l. eYerything to do with

th. ""y in wmeh ..>imib'ion¡'1 homo"'.u.I• ...., willing to ·tom off .nd
on' ,h.i, ......Ii,)·. Th. con'",el th.l, lbey h"" >i¡;ne<! on 'o d.mmd.
th.1 >no.:lity b< tomed on onl)' within lbe '¡'elle, of th. p,jy.le '1'h...,
in • d"m".. th.lt i. fu moooer th.ln lhe '¡'..JoWJ th.lt e",,,loped th.
tmek> on Chri.loph.. St,«t in o pr<-S'onew.:ll 1%0. lh....imibtioni>l

Muñoz, Jos? Esteban. Cruising Utopia : The Then and There of Queer Futurity.
New York, NY, USA: NYU Press, 2009. p 67.
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hom""'....:I. who b>chd Giul"ni .nd Nck Bloomberg ..... ""....1pro-

1.t."i.1 th.t h.. l>e<n .w.pt into!he con",,,,,,ti,,, populi.m so I""",,,fully
duract.rizing th;" mom.nt, domin.>ted .. il i. by n.oIib<r.:li.m .nd, 1'00'"
'p«ifie.lly, gal' P"'lI""'ti>rn. lh. contract they h.", .igned i. oo. of W<.
fotority. IUth<r tNo im"sring in child...n, Ihe¡' in.." in m ••omil.ltion
tNI ;" fu,,,,,, o",r th. r>iobow.
Doring "'. panico .ueh •• !he correot one, it ....,IIIJI ."",c"Uy importIDt
to .""ct • critid.m th.. accompli,h... few t••u A. K.prow'. Iupp<oing<
md D.l.>ny·. m.moi, did, "''' crud.:lly o.NI to m.p 00' ...p,...ioo, ou,
f"'gmenlation, .nd 00' .Ii.""tion-lhe""r> in ""hich th••t..e d"". not
p<rmil m to "l' "th. whole of ou, m.l..... lt i, .:1", important lo practico
• crilici.m th.t en.>bl.. m lo cut through lhe insritution.o1 .nd legid.lti,,,
barr"" th.t outl.>w cont,,1 ...blion. and ohocu... g1imp... uf tb. ""hole.
Th... gliml""" and mom.o" of conbct Iu,,,. decidedly utop"n fonc-
tion tlul p.rmi" u. lo im.gin••nd potenli.l1y m.lke • qu"", world. Such
• critici>rn woold wo,k by .l1owing u. to ."" ·tb. futu... in tb. p.....ot..
C. L. R. Jam•• enlitled h;" fi,,1 volume of coU.cted ""riling JIu: Furu"
j" tire PnstOll. Thi. titl. ri/f. on.n "p<ct of Heg.l"n di.leclin .u¡;¡;e.ling
tlullh• .tIirnutioo mowo .. th. futu... i. eonlained within ilo neg.>tion,
th. pre..nt [o J="'. cNutho...d F.úng R,~lif}', • dorum.nt th.t h..
b..o d.ocribed ... d ...ic uf th. Am<ricm len, h. >rgu" tlul ••oci.:l-
i,t future could b< g1imp..d by ob..rving worh, inter.ction IDd .oc"l-
ity ",ithin th. 'Pac. of th. indu,trnli..d f.ctoe¡'. Fu,th.rmo,e, h. upl.>iOJl
tlul the .hop rloo, Wil• • n actu.:lly ..i.ting soci.li,t ,..lity io lhe p,...nt.
Hi. m""t .triking proof fo, Ihi. th••;" coo.id." !he c... of ID .nooymoWl
wo,ke,.t ID unn.>med f.ctory: "In on. de¡=tm.nt of. cert.in plant in
th. U.S. !he ... i•• worl<er ""ho i. phr>icil1y ioe.p.ble of carrying out hi.
duti... But h. i, • nun with wife .nd child,en and hi. condilion i. du. to
th. >train of previou. wo,k io th. plan!. lh. worl«" h... organired th.i,
wo,k so tlut fu,
t.o j"m he h.. lud practic.l1y nothing to do."" J.m••
look> to thi, situ.tion and othm lik. it throughoot !he world ...nmpl..
of m .I.... dy .. i.ting oocWi.t pre><:nt oulOOe of th. bu....ucr>cy llut w..
tb. E..t.m Bloc. Jam•• >rgu" th.t "th. fond.menW la.k ;" to ...cogni..
tb. wcWi,1 soci.ty md recoro th. faels of ils ..i.t.oee"; thu., !he oc<n..
h. d.ocribe. >re lo be ... ad .. "outpost. of • oew >oei<ly.""
Thi. ideo in J>m", tlll. nolion of the futu,e in !he pre><:nt, i. mmi-
fe,led through hi. posr-Tro"kli" worl<eri>rn, which h•• be.n critiqu.d
""idely. Tod.y ~ ;" "'Y lo di>rni...n int.llectu.1 romanliciution of 1.>-
bo'. Two ofJam.... 1'00" f.mom coll.>bo"'to.. d.ooun«d thi, notion ..

Muñoz, Jos? Esteban. Cruising Utopia : The Then and There of Queer Futurity.
New York, NY, USA: NYU Press, 2009. p 68.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/unalbog/Doc?id=10425196&ppg=68
Copyright © 2009. NYU Press. All rights reserved.
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d.lo.ion.1 and n.ive. Com.lio. C.,loriodi. (,",'ho eonl,iboled to lh. mn.

book ondor one of hi. p.n n>me>, I'i.""
Ch.olieo) 1= coonl.red J.me'"
d,,;nu by ..pl>injng tlu.t·~ is not diffirull lo ondersl.nd lh.l if rodili..
ooc:iety .Ire>dy ..i.led p«>ple woold!»ve noliced it:~. Oo""Y""'''')'''
...he foonded th. John.on-fure.l Tend.ney in Ameri«n M>ni.m ...ilh
J.m••, .l.ted tlu.t "the mm who un wril. ']j i•• S'... d llu.l lhe socWi.l
ooc:iety ru.... n«d n..,,, f.c. reilily.... Th....re h:udl word. f,cm .lli••
and friend>. Yet, d..pile the.. drnming eritiqo.., l.m .li1l dt>wn to thi.
id•• in J>m<> .nd ~ ••mplu.si. on th. beto,y ",orU" puticol>,ly its fr>m-
ing of lhe lO<i.1 p<rformor .. rom.lhing more thID • cog. 1 eontend th>l
J.mes'. di>leclic ulopi.ru.m is not WI.I... jnro!'>, •• it h.11" u. im.gin.
lh. haure wi!hoot .bandoning the presenl. J>me" formubtion wo,ks ..
• refunetioned utopionhm tlu.t i. prediut.d on • eritic¡o. of the p,...nt.
1 Ulgg••l th.t lh. re.ding pr>etice th.t J>me> de>erib.. help. O> re.d lh•
...orld-m.king potenli.liti•• mnl,,;ned in the p<rfornune<> of minoritu-
ion dti..n-Ulbjects who mnl",l!he m';o,i",;", puhlie .phere."
1 ose th. torm ",¡""rit.lri.n lo ind"" drizen-Ulbj«l....ho, do. to .nug-
onísm.... ~hin lh. >oc;,,] Ulch., t>Ce, e);o.., and "',.re deb>sed ...ilhin
lh. m;o;Orit..ian peblic 'l'h.re. lh. rem;oinde, of tbi. eh.pte, eonUd""
p<rfo,nunc.. th>t 1 describ... ono,) >v.nt-g.udist.ctl ...hOl' ideologi-
u1 proj.et..... hoth anlinorm.live and eritic.1 of lh••l.te. Minorit.rion
p<rfo,nun«_p<rformIDe<> boIh th..tri«1 .nd qootidi>n_t.-.mporl.
o• .c'OI' ')mhelic 'p.c., jn..rling o. iu • ml.rminoo. lim....h.n we ... il-
n... new ro,m;otion....ilhin lh. pre..nl and the fulure. lh. ml.rminoo.
l.mpor.lity of .ueh p<rformanee .xi... wilhin lh. futor. md !he pre..nl,
,urp>.sing rel'g>tion lo on. tempot>lity (th. p,...nl) .nd iu'isting on lh.
minon..rian .ubject'• •t.lo••• wo,id-hi.. oriul .nlily. lh••1.S' and lhe
..re.l, like lh••hep 1100r, .re ,-.no.. ror I"'rformmce. lh.l .Jlow the 'pec-
..lo, >cee.. to minoriurion lifeworldJIllu.l ru.., impo'lmd)' .nd di.lecli-
e.JI)', wilhin lhe fulure and lh. p,...nt. J.me'" ...o,keri.l lh<e>ry .11""", WI
lo lhink of the minorit.rian I"'rformor ......o,ke, .nd the performance
of queer ...orld-m;oking ••• mode oflilio,. lh",. p<rfomunce••re thu.
outpo.!> of .n .eto.Jly «i.ling qu«, future ru..ing in th. pre..nt.

Magie Touehes: Que«, of Colo.- ami Alternali.. Economies

R<>e.rch 1= l>k.n m. lo J.cbon Heigh.., Q¡.,,,,,,..

Thore 1"i.iled and 1"'-
lroni..d lh. no...-do.ed M.gie Tooch, • bu ...h"", n>me l.isn.Jed • modo

Muñoz, Jos? Esteban. Cruising Utopia : The Then and There of Queer Futurity.
New York, NY, USA: NYU Press, 2009. p 69.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/unalbog/Doc?id=10425196&ppg=69
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of eonbet bet....en .ex ""00,,, ."d conoum." th.>.t CID potent;'lIy be de-
mibed •• interd... IDd intelTilce eont.et. N. th. dock tid" md lhe world
of N.... York'. culture of publie ... bce...tinelion, I h.>.", m..J•• point of
.oaing up .. mueh ofil >JI po.oíbl•. lhi:ll>u eert.inly did not eompue to
th. ilIidl orgy on th. pier.lh.>.t Delmy ehronided, Yot it "'... "'ry dilfer-
ent from oimi!.r ..nu .. in th. dty, .ueh >JI th. G,;.ty in !>lmh.>.nm.
lh. G.iety W>JI one of the 1••1 .urviving S'Y hurle>qu, roo"",, in N....
York Gty. Adeude.go il hub ofhw;tling ."d public ....eti,'ity. P.-
tro"" ""u1d not only inte"let ith th. perform..., .....0 ...ere .Jw'YS "",;1-
.ble fOl' priv.te .h""", bul """. e<ttl>lI)' intere..ed in tho.. >itring nnl to
th.m, AH ooft:! of .., would h.>.ppen in thi. venu• ."d othe.. lik. il, in-
duding th••imi!.rly d.funel Ero. lhe>ter .nd th. Showp>l>ce. lh. G,i-
ety mm;¡god lo .t>y in bu>ine.. longer lh.>.n it> eohorl by .dopting "",n)'
of lb••t.le. poIkie. before the .bte ;octu.Uy imtituted th.m. P.tro"" ...ere
not .Il"",-ed ."ywhere ne>r performer<, perform.rs were .lrktly foroidd.n
from negoli.ling priV>.te mow., .nd >ecurity guud. p.troll.d th••iol..
md m.d••ure th.t p.tron. did no! toueh one .nother. lhe performers
...ere .lmost eulu.i..ly whit•. AlI th. d."cers ere coovenlion.Uy .tt..e-
ti",."d extremely "",11 mu.ded. !>loo! were b d in ülUd.,lrn.ling to
th. G.iety once. month to hu.de on th. >ide."d .lrip on "'S., lh...
body t)1'" hold • po...erful .pot in tbe erotic inugin.lion of m';n.lreun
hom=m.:!ity, [h".. d..eribec! lhi. phenom.non .he...here .. lbe "dom-
ilUnt imprint" th>t org;oni= m.in..re.m d..i... in US, g>y rulture." L>ter
in tlU. book [ menlion the w.y in hkh tramgender performer K.vin Avi-
me< figur>tively IDd Iiler.:!I)' ri hove tlU. perva.i'" bodily mode. Th.
domin."l imprint i. a blueprint of ga)' m.le <le>ire ."d de.irability th>t
i. unmarhd and tho. uni.....lly white, P.trou., Iike d..iring oubj.ets in
"",in.mun S')' eullure, e." n.ver toueh the", bo)~ unle"" they negoti.t.
a pri,..te .how in the >dj.cenlloung< .re>. A priv.te .how ""eras.. aOOot
two hondred dol!.... (Internet .ite.lh.>.t diKO" hu..linS from. eon.um-
er'o pe"peeti'" eomplain of the dancers' Iimiled .."",1 reperloi..., T...o
hundred dollars e." g<ne"llly huy. p.lron. "po>ing iliow; in which.
tlexing hu..ler off... mootly "';"'.1 pl•••ure to lhe often frm!rat.d ... con-
.umer.)" The dmcers' in>ece.oíbility .nd d<.irability are. eombin>tion of
eonlr>dietory attribut.. recognizable in lhe dominanl imprint. T>1I, blond
...hile boyo ...ith puluting mwde....ho Nrely d.nce are in....d objects
to b. d..ired from af.. md engased only in priv.t., thu. eonformin¡; to
a culture of .," worl< th>t «n b. eh>ncleriud a. prinurily being aOOut
priv.lized n.t""oong relations.

Muñoz, Jos? Esteban. Cruising Utopia : The Then and There of Queer Futurity.
New York, NY, USA: NYU Press, 2009. p 70.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/unalbog/Doc?id=10425196&ppg=70
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lb"e lo''' no .uch pOOcing.t the Jl.L>gic Touch, lb••holo' lo'" run lik.
a con'",l th...:. ",ffl. select.d judg'" fOl' coml"'lition. and conlesL>nlo
"'..,.. iudg«! on • ""'se of an,ibut••• which included l>oth dancing .nd
pliJ"ic.Japp..",ne<. Wlie.... ,lie Gai"y', perfonn.rs "'..,.. mo.tly ""hile.
th. M.gic Toucli'. ",..,re mO'ltly L.'ino and Afric>n Am.rican. Sine< th.
Magic Touch "'... on. of only. felo' n.ighborhood gay b.rs in Qu«ns,
oom. I••mano and u'aight ""m.n lo'ould al.o mow up, lbe bu'. cli.n-
t.l••too<! in m..rp contra.l to th. Gai<ty'" ,Ii. Gaiel)' lo'" p..dominanlly
populat.d by wliit. m.n .nd tou,i.lo from Eumpe and Ea.l A.i•• lo'her..,
th...d.1 diversity 1.ncoun'e....J at lli. Jl.L>gic Touch continues lo .u'l='
any 1!>.ve ...n .t oth" say club..
Filipino queerul ..t nen to olde, wliit. <udd)' ')pe' lo'lio "'..,.. Km..
th. N' from be.pe'-wielding L>tino hu.tI." lo'ho ...med to know th.
group ofbl.ck m.n clu,te,ed amund lli. juhbo., Sorn. rol\;. we .. M.n-
han.nit•• bmins the ouler boroughs; others h>iled fmm .ven de.pe,
in Qu••n., lb. !""fonn." c>me ou, in uniro'lfIJI_milituy ga'b, 100,,-
fitting hip-hop f..hions, .nug-fitting say club lo'.... blue-colla, fUnnel
d..g_and .tripped to • G-uring, lbey "'..,.. iml.;¡ntly di"lLl.llified if th.y
mOlo'ed anything th.. miglil be tucL-M insid.lli. G·.lring. lbei, dIDcing
"yles vuied: som.let ,h.i, bodi•• do.1I tb. ""rk; o,lier boj" lo'e.. quite
ocrob.a'ic. Hip-liop danco mo.... domiu.ted th. pe,fonnm' roulin••. lb.
m",..,menl> "'..,.. often d••cribed a. a higlily •.,u.:liud b...k dancing. A.
ooon .. th. con'",l lo''' over IDd ,h. lo'inne, "'... c,owned, tb. boyo would
mingl. with ,Ii. audi.nco ro, ID hou, ol >O. T,p' "'..,...tuti'ed in bildni,
and boot., de.;' were brok...d. conversation, emued.
lb. dancon .t th. G.iety did no' , ..m lo tili a. much ple••u.. in
th. dancing. In'le.d, mo" would .lrut .round tb. "ag<. During an)' on•
•IiOlo' a <uncer .t th. Gai.ty would <Unce 'o 'lo'O consecu'i,.., oong•. lb.
mu,;c lo''' .Imo,l ••du.i,..,ly cont.mpo.-.ry POI' During th. fint .ons th.
danco, ""u1d !""fonn a .triple... lo bi. ;..ek o, und.,,,,..,u. He lo'ould
th.n lo'.Jk Nclrst.se, and th"e lo'ould be. minute o, two ""h.n ,lie .udi-
.nce aou:iouoly .",ai,ed tb. <Unce,. n." 'ppe..ance. During lhi. P"'''.
th. <Unce, "'... g.tting ...et o,, a. il i. Xnown in th. prof.,..¡o.w I.,icon,
"fluffed,· lb. "<et dance, lo'" grffied by. round of applau.. lo'hen h•
...merged from bKlrsbs<. Sometimes th. dance, lo'ould ha,.., 'i.d a rub-
be, band o, • cocX 'ing .round th. b.a.. ofhi. peni. to all"",' him to main-
tain h¡, "ection. linl.longe,. Bu' mo.. oft.n ,han no! the "ection h.d
fad.d by ,h. middl. of thi. second numb.,. A di'play of nudity lo'ould
ha,.., cl"",d dOlo'n th. Magic Touch. In fact, il> dancon had to lo'''' mo..

Muñoz, Jos? Esteban. Cruising Utopia : The Then and There of Queer Futurity.
New York, NY, USA: NYU Press, 2009. p 71.
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th.m • G-..nng .inee tI>< lOning J..... prohibited fem.:le go-go d."con."d
nule dmce" from we.'ing ."ything as r"".:Iing .. bikini., A f.... tople..
dmco b= throughout "'l>nhinID surviyed by ..,,,,,,ling m S in front of
th. w",d '''1'1... on th<i, .igns, ...lUch n"", re>d "Stople.. D.ncing." lb.
·.topl.... d."con ""u1d poI. dmco while w«'ing T-shirts. Most of th.
nule go-go d."..n ,.0....thl.tic .hort••• th.y ...h.ar><d th.ir mo"'. on
'''ge. A1though tI>< 'lripp<n.t the M.gic Toueh were un.ble to tm it
.11 otr, th. cu"omor "'....ble to achi"" phy>ieal cont.et wh.n tipping hi.
dmcor of ,hote•. lhe Gaiety'. mtiJI.ptic lounge hid • rough «Joi,'a1.nt
in th. M.gie Touch'. ironic.:lly titled VlP loun!\,. lhe VIP acto-
.l1y th. hit', b.,em.nt, It inc1ud.d. pool labl• ."d .over.:l pi of "'n-
d"",n ...iáe, fumitu... ."d whit. pl.,lic picnic eh,,; lb. eontaet .nact.d
bet",,,.n dme../'tnpper md 'peelato,/john 1><... "' much mo... taetil.
md int.n•• thin ...h.t h.pp.nod op.t";...
One of my friendo, .n mthropologi.. ,.ho ",ur!<. ,.ilb S.-)' Filipino m.n
in N.,.. yo,k City, ",uold ...f.. to lbe M.Sic Touch., th. "T..gic Tooeh,'
lbi,,.... nicmam. giv.n to th. b.,- by .ome Jacbon H.igh¡, loc,).. lb.
tr.gic in tlU, ... ",~iling of th blishmenú name "'.., m.mt to po"" fon
.t th. p.th"" of th. ho.lIor-john J.tio",hip_th. m>nn.. in hteh oIde,
men I"'Y l"ung.. h",tle". From the ""nt.ge point of 1"oth, ,. n ele.r!)'
''''' th. I"'tho. of thi.... lalion,hip. r.t I ,.."t to suU••t th.t it iJI • p.th""
thit ond.rginh tI>< .gei.m md, fo, lack of • bener ",u,d, 1""1d",, of .:11
gay nule .rolic ..""omi••. From y...noth.. pe"l'.cti''', ",,, ..n ... thi.
,e1>tion!hip .....m.thing .1.., molh.. OO,nut",n: tlU...onomy of ho.-
tler-;"hn i• ." ,)t.""'ti'" ..""omy in whieh n••h, ple..u , .nd mon.)'
meet ond.. oot1>w cirro""'t.n«.. lhiJI ..onomy ...h th. ,t.nJaro-
i.o<! root•• in ...hieh helerono"""ti", late "'pit.li.m nund.le. nelwo,k-
ing re1>tio", of ••• fo, money. ru. «onom)' "'p.....nt. . . .Iling of ...
fo, mon.y thit d"". not confo,m to tI>< c"'po",te Amen..n ",.t..de .1-
"'''Y' on di'p1>y fo, u. vi. m.dio .d"'rti.ing culture md oidor in,tit"'",,,,
.uch >JI h.t.ros.xu,) mmi.!\" lh. ho,d..-;"hn ...Iation.hip represenu.
thr«t lo the.. ",h.. n.tur.:lized performmeo. of fo, money, in I"'rt
be<.o.. it promotes cont",t bet",,,.n r«'ple of dilfe nt ela.. md r..iol
background., At th. "'I>gic Toueh I OOond men of .:11 eolo" ...lating lo
on••noth.., forming hondo, ."d I ..,.. thi. in nu.., I glimp.o<! • ,.hol.
thit i. di"' ."d invigo..ting in il> «I.ctic n.ture. Som. men eam. fo,
..-oyrun'tic pl u ..., ...m. eam.to meet oth.. m.n who "'''''' .peet.to",
md oth." eam. to particip.t. in lbe .ge-oId ..onomy of hustler .nd
joon_.n "'''''' performing ""t1>w ..ru>lity, lh'lOning l'giJl1>ti"" .110....

Muñoz, Jos? Esteban. Cruising Utopia : The Then and There of Queer Futurity.
New York, NY, USA: NYU Press, 2009. p 72.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/unalbog/Doc?id=10425196&ppg=72
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.uch ....bliohmeot> to fonaion only in indwtri>li..d 'l"'e.. f., >W'y

from public t..nspon.tion .nd othe. b.wne..... whe... m.n ",ho bra,,,
th• .., industri.>Ii,N ron.. eocoun'e. f>. gre.'e. risi. of g;oy b.shing .nd
robb<ry.

Sticke.ing the Future

Th. plira.., "lI'ho.., qu.lity of life?" «uglll my ')'" Som.eone h.d print.d
thi< lino on ••Iid•• >ll>ehed lo ••t,.., .ign oe>. my hom•. lh....t of
th. ten ".d, "JI"o. be.utiful d.y., .. 'Crime i< do",,,.' Polie< brubli'y i.
up.... Wh...re )"u doing out>ide?" Th. >tick•• "'....igned by. Mick.)·
Mou.., h.:od with!he l."... "f.t.m" ,up<riml""'d oyer il. T.n bel"", th.
moWl. imigni.> ''Pbined ,h.llh. KroOyrn .tood fo. "f• ., th. m.yo."
Th. m';n t... i•• bk.otf of ABe n.t>.".k·••d c>JIIp.ign .ocou..g;ng
"';.",,,n to .it.t home .nd ",.leh lV d..pi'e. mnny d.y ouuide, J ble •
• ncounle ...d ;onolheroticker, ,hi. on••howing.u im.ge of t",,, ""hite m.n
in b...b.1l «1'" with th.iz.rmJI uound e>eh oIher. Th. men ...p.....,nt.d
th. cont.mporal)' ""hit. g.y m.:le don., the ')'P' th>t popuL.t•• cen';n
n.ighhorhoodo in m.ljo' U.S. citie...uch >JI New Yo.k·. Chel..,. o. Lo.
Angel.... W... HoUp"uod. Th••• im.lg<' did no! .epz• ..,ol th. dominm'
imprin' but did "..,mbl•• look org>ni..d IDd fomun.d by lh. d..i...
th.. i. th. domin;onl impzint, The t..t .e>d, "C.n "''' .tfo.d to b< norm.:l1·
Jl<lo"" the photo 1 foun<! ""h.... fint slme< .pp<....d lo be ,h. loso of
e0'PO..t. m.g.ch.in ,tor.lh. G.p, But in"••d ic 'l"'U.d ou, G-A-Y, A
dog>n 11mked th. f.,o corporate in.igni., re.dios. ·H....ononn.tivity.
F.ll into ,h. tap" 1und."lood ,hi< ,ticke. lo b< ."""i.t.d wi,h th. P"'-
"';ou. one wheo llo«ted tbe um. f"",ili., mon.., h••d in th. eom... Thi.
time tbe .erooyrn "'>JI diIR.eol_it d ".,h,q.: whieh ,lood fo. ",..i..
th. h.t.ro..,m.:li".tion of queem J beg;on 'o inqui..... to lhe .u!ho.-
.hip of ,h• .., inspire<! litrl. >tick md 0000 taced ,h.m 'o • group of
young .etivi.t. in New Yo.k City who h>d bunebed ID imp i'" .ticker-
ing/whe>lp>JItiog c.mp.ign .g>imt then-m.yo. Giuli."ú di eli",.. lh.
group ",o.ked with !he .etivi.. eollectiye S.. Pmic fo•• 'ime bu' b<e"",.
di<ilIu.ion.d wilh th.. group·. in;¡bili,y to ineorpo..te quemon. of g.n-
d.., ..ce,.ud .ge into ilo critiqu. of ..... censorohip ;ond homophobi.1.
Th. gronp ¡"" refu..,d to n.m. i,..,lf, in ;on .n.mpl 'o ...m';n • ",ooong
eoU.eli,,, .ud oo..l.p lh. e...nti.>lizing .tfect> th>t ocru. ""h.n • group
id.ntity i••doplN, At tim•• ,h. g'oup .mploy lh••crooyrn "L.. g.: which

Muñoz, Jos? Esteban. Cruising Utopia : The Then and There of Queer Futurity.
New York, NY, USA: NYU Press, 2009. p 73.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/unalbog/Doc?id=10425196&ppg=73
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·tmd. fu, ·f.minist .elion group: Al olbe, 'ime. it 'pproprl>te. th. n;un.
of the ...bumm his'> :«:hool group th...li whit., middle-cL... offid.l. "'p-
port, SADD (.tud<nt••g>imt drunk driving), r.rigniJYing th.t ><ronyrn
to m.m .....elivi.t••g>imt d.moniwion: lh. only ,on,t""t gr.phic
th. group ",binJI in it. gumill, po.tu'ing .nd >lickoring i. lh. outlin.
of. Mickoy MoWl' h..d, ...hich i. me>nt lo "'pr<>enl N...· York'. omi-
nou. Big Brolhe,. [n lbe group '••eli,';'t ...l.m.nt_••in. litled SwoU--
YO"' Pri.u_m.mbe" upL.in, '",.. cOOo'" lo do. >lickoring/wh..tl"'>I-
ing c.ml"'ign b<c.u.. ,h.", >te • 101 of .p«i.1 ('<'u lo ,hi. kind of m.-
di.. Fi"t, iú r..Uy ch..p. ~eond, il ",,,hes. dilferon' ,udi.ne< th>n
th. oth<, option. ,lu.l...., v.guely .ceo.riblo: Intem.t, g:oy """,klies, .nd
.ometim", biggor ne....p'pe", it'. r"U)'l",;o1, People ... the >lulf on th•
•t,eel.nd in ,h. cil)·. JI i. not Iimi'ed 'o people who h>,.. comput." o,
'e>d th. n''''~p'per ,egubrly_wbich me"", youngor people .nd poo,e,
peopl.:"lhi' ¡;mup h>••nempt.d nol to "'pli«.. th. mi,t.k", of olbe,
impon.nt "tivi.t. group< .uch., ~% p.rue, Ael-Up,."d Quee, N..ion.
Jb gu.rrilb «mp.ign h...tt.mpled to im'gin. ;md .n"l. modo of quee,
publicity th>t is «Iibale<! lo be ""ponJIi\'e to mod.:!iti", of dilf..enco th.,
indud. "'c<, d..., g.nde" ."d .nu.lity. lhe young .<ti,';'u' irulistenco
on." int.gr,ted .nd inter5<Ction.:! qu... criliqu. cm be di1c.med if "'..
conrid....ticker ,h.. ",.d., "1 Nu!h."'TI Willi>m.: Willi..nJI is. )'Oung
H[V-poriti'" Africm Am.rk.n m." who ¡". b<en ..-reued fu, eng'ging
in unpro..eled .... H. b<cam•• contempo"'')' Typhoid M;uy •• "''''''-
tion>li..d medi. ,eporting con.truct.d him •• th. ultim... AlDS p,ed.-
tor.lh. ¡;mup'. interv.n'ion in thi. , ... """•• diffirult .nd n.ky mo",. lt
i, ind..d, compln mo,.. 'o id.n'ify with ",m.on. who, 'hoogh nol b.-
h.ving in • con",n'ion>lly ..ru;olly ro.ponrible f.,hion, """', nonetheh.,
not th. aci>lized monlle' con>lruct.d by th. medi" ..porling.
Th. ,tieke" funelion •• performing objocu ina>mueh .. they wlicit
• "'>pon", from .('<el.toro. Som.tim•• ('<ople .ttempt to rip th••tiá-
." down;.t othor tim•• ('<ople w,it. directly on th••tiáero. lh••tick-
." ,hem..I,... th.n becom. furums fo, publk d.Nt., wh.", p<opl. work
through pr"";ng oocW i..u•• in. 'p.c. ''''>y from the corrupt medJ.li..d
nujoribri>n public .ph.",. Th. p<rform;meo. tlu.l th••tiáero d.nund
from vie"",ro open ,h. po.ribility of critic.llhinking md int."..ntion;
th.y encou"'ge lucidity .nd polilk.:! .elion. Th.y .re ",li. th., d.nund,
in th. tadi'ion of Afrie>n AmericID vem.cuw culture, • ""pon><. lh. "'-
'pon", i••omelim.. ID oulpouring of u.t. idoology, ret .1 oIhor lim.. th.
''''pon....re g1imp"" of m .ctu.lly ..i.tin¡; quee, fu'u", in lbe p..",nl."

Muñoz, Jos? Esteban. Cruising Utopia : The Then and There of Queer Futurity.
New York, NY, USA: NYU Press, 2009. p 74.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/unalbog/Doc?id=10425196&ppg=74
Copyright © 2009. NYU Press. All rights reserved.
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25/04/2011 Cruising Utopia : The Then and Ther…

One .lieL·"" in p.rlicuL.r offe" m imporl.,.,l criliqoe of th. pre..nt

th.l .ign.;ol, th. coming of. n.... momenl of qoeer .eti,;.m:rnd poblic-
ity. Doring Giuli.ni'. nuyoral reign, W••hington Squ... "'.. on. of hi. pet
project•. H. fi"l incre.oed polieo pre..nco .1 th. pHi< to trul)' milit.,i.-
tic proportions. lh. enlire 'P"" ofth. I"'rI< "'.. md ,til! i. blweled by
.llu,t. doz<n or '" polieo ollic"" .l.n)· given moment, A I.rg. polieo
t"i1., w.. I"'rI<od nen lo the p.,t, :rnd ~ h.. b<com. comnund contraL
I c:rnno! coont th. tim.. over th. p"" ili y..... th.ll h.v•• tood ",itn .
to tb."", o, foor po~eo olli«,.. jomping on on. homol... drug dul .
(Wh.n 1",rit. "drug de.l.' h.re, 1 m.m hom.I m.n ",ho hu.tI. tin)'
"dim. Ng>" of mmjo.,.,.. ) lhi. policing h••• ne t«:hnologic.l dim.n-
.ion be",u.. the pHi< ¡, now complet.ly «""red by "ideo cam.ra. th..t
record e"'rything luppening iMide or nu, W..lUngton Sqo..., lh. I"'rI<
i, corrently th. m",l .uryeilled public '1"'« in the dty. A we.k or '" .tier
th... cam.,.. fu.l .ppe.,ed, I noticod th. moo•• h••d '&lin, lhis timo
th••cronym re.d ·w,b.w,," which .tood foc """.re b<ing mtehed." An-
oth., .ticker soon follo...«I. lt lud • grut dul more t.xl: ·Smil.!: roo
.re on d=d Circoil TeI..;.ion. lh. NYPD .1", in,l.:tlod rur...iIl:rneo
cam.ra. in W••hington Squ;¡re P.,k. In our public oro.,., .p..,•• we .re
" ..lchod .nd h.... ..e<J by:rn incre••ingly brubl polico forc., lhe o.. of
"'le-..netion.d viol.neo '&lin.t qo«", yooth, p""pl. of color :rnd th.
homele.. in .n .ffo,t lo 'd•.,.,-op' lhi. city mu.l "01' Gioli:rnú 'qu;¡lit)· of
Iife' c.ml"'ign i. d'i,;ng o. oul of the pL.co> where "" h... .Jw'YS hong
oot: lh••tic"", fonction. , •• mede of politlcol pe,bgogy th.t int.nd. to
publici.. the ...le. mKlUn.tion. of p"""r. Whil. tochnologi•• of .on-eil-
L.n« coloni.. ,ymbolic .p..,., the .nonyrnoWl perfomun« of ..ick.ring
conl..1J tlul relerritori.:ti...tion md inugin.. :rnother mom.nl: , timo .nd
pi". ouIJide lh....t" dectroni< .)", lhi, worl<ing coll.<:live ¡, mtching
th. " ..l,h., .nd providing. mu,h-n..dod coont.epoblicity lo the .ut"
power. In this ...oc' ",• .1", g1imp.. :rn .,..nt-&l'di" "',0.1 perfocmmee,
...hich ¡, lo uy. p.cfomun« th.t en;¡el>. critiqo. of "',0.1 nocm.liviti••
• Uo,,;ng o. to b<..... ~n... to. new focnution,. futore in th. p,...nt.

Mourning tluough Militancy: Matthew Shepard and üthe"

lh. point of ing the ",hol. of ou, nuJI'" did not b<com••.Iient for
me unlill witn od • tMoretic,1 focmoL.tion on th••tc«IJ ofN.... Yor!<,
in the focm of :rn oprising tlut w.. pot down ...ilh brut.l forc. by th.

Muñoz, Jos? Esteban. Cruising Utopia : The Then and There of Queer Futurity.
New York, NY, USA: NYU Press, 2009. p 75.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/unalbog/Doc?id=10425196&ppg=75
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25/04/2011 Cruising Utopia : The Then and Ther…

N.,.. York City Poli" DepHtm.nt. The polidng of Ihi. upri.ing ",orhd
>O th•• the m;¡."'" ",ould b. u""ble to ... lbe ""hol•. I>l>tthe"" Shepnd
"'... m·.gely b..len, bound to. fenco,;md 1.11 to di. on. Wyoming r",d
in tb. f.1I of 1998. The rulion.l.nen.ion thio murder re«Md w>•••ur-
pri•• for m;ony .cti,;.t•. Qu." ..tivi.t. in Now York City were very .",..re
of lbe bet th>., ",hile erim. w.. ,upp"'.dly do""n und" the Giuli.ru re-
gim., ,;ol.nee .g;oimt g.yo .nd le.h"'" "'.. on th. inere.... ln 1998 I...t.
enm. viol.nce lud incr• ...d by 8 percenl.& W.:!king through tbe E..t
or Wesl Vill>ge, Chel... , Brookll·n, or n.ighhoroooo. in Queeu" qu..,..
h"" becom. ,,,rr ..cusrom.d to •..,ing po.t... ",ith tbe pictu..... of som.
queer p<rwn, oli.n. qu..,r penon of color, lo'ho h.. b..n murder<d or
h.. "di..pp<.red" in N.... Yor!<. W• ..., .imil>r p"'t... w>ming u. of o.her
predllors ",ho prel· on our eommunity, 1I lo''' Sh"l'",d'. t.legenic b« t1ut
.ecorec! .101 of me<!i••nenlion. Hi. ·I~ition.:l· good look. echoed eer-
t.in ..pecls of • dom;,,,,nt impnnl, md th>. corninly h.lp.d him b.eom•
• tbg th.1 nuny peopl. eould r.1Ir ",ound. M""y of th••ctivi.ls ...ho
.how<d up fur th. I>bnh.... Sh.p>rd politic.:! funerillbe n.xl d.y under-
.tood .lu.t if Shep>rd h>d not been • prenr lo'hite boy, .here would h""
been no .ueh ou.e')'. W. none.hel.....ized th. momen' .nd took '0 th•
•tr«t., no' only fur Sh.p>rd hut for th. munt1e.. ",om.n ;ond m.n of .:!I
colo.. ""ho lu.w rurviwd ""d not .urvi,,,d queer violence on th••tr«l>
of Now York City .nd .helo'here,
Th. offid.1 ><iv;onee estim.le fur th;, vigil "'.. fi,,,
hundred people;
oth" eslinutes .uUesl th.1 tive .hou..nd '¡'"",,,d up, Th. N.... Yor!< Ci'l·
Poliee D<¡=tmenl ""pond.d.o tbe outpounng of .ctivi,m by «Iling in
th. troops. M=bers dunng thi. rebe1lion .n.mpt.d to t.ke to th••tr«l>,
ru.
bu••h. poIi« in,isred th>•• """,.i,,, group ",.:!k .zdu'iwly on th•• id.-
",..Ik. A ruptore e>m., .nd people ,urg<d onlo th••!reet>, Viol.n« .n-
.uec!, ho.... were brought ou., billy club. ",,,re hr:mdi.he<!, .etivi.!> ",,,re
pu.bed .nd knocked down. Th. prot••t '. m;¡roluk, it> 1• ..Jership, ",,,re th.
ti..t peopl••",,"ed, 1"lo' fri.ndJI t.ken .w'l·, l",de<! on MTA hu><. com-
m;¡ndeered by the poliee, M;ony peopl. on ;onliviral drug< mi.",d do..g••
md n.l<ed huilding up immunilr'o lbe.. preciou. drug<, My friend D.vid
"'... not pl;mning lo b. ."".Ied, bul h. lo''' nonethel= r>ndomiy picked
out of lbe er"",·d ""d "k.n.o centr.:! booking. Ano.her fri.nd, Rebecco,
m,ided :lITe" bu. h>d • d= ,.r! .l1er m. "'...howd by • eop, her vigil
e;ondle 'l'iIling lo':U on .noth" offi"r lo'ho turne<! .ngrily lo h,,_in fen
.he .pologi..d profusely, hoping not be uken in. M",I peopl. h..J not
plmne<! to b. ",re"ec!; .ru.lo''' rupposed lo b< • >omb.r poUticol vigiL

Muñoz, Jos? Esteban. Cruising Utopia : The Then and There of Queer Futurity.
New York, NY, USA: NYU Press, 2009. p 76.
http://site.ebrary.com/lib/unalbog/Doc?id=10425196&ppg=76
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.. n.o ""... h" tho , ........

No ooe ..,tidl"'t<d lhe horoe>, th. ooml=.lmeot of cOI", th. nus• .,--
re.t.. lhe force o",d '&,iOll th.m. lb. "".«ful vigil !><e.me oomelhing
.1... tI b«am•• mom.ot ",h.o qu... p"'pl., fro.l...,ed .od,¡á of.:ll
th. violeoce ,bey h.d .odure<!, """ our m>."'s. lb. police re'l"'0ded by
bre.king up th. group, f.elioniog oti' "'8"'.0" of our groupiogs, obsrur-
ing our nuss.
lb. mI< uodent..,d. th. n••d to k..p u. froro knowing ounelv...
kno"'iog our m...... It i. re.dy, ., the drop of th. pro..rbW dime, to
t",nsform public tr>nspomtioo iolo policing m>ehin••, to «U ou, thou-
oand. uf copo to m>teh ,hou..ndJI of «tivi.ls, lo wi.ld club••od list•. lb.
"'le, like Delmy, uode"tandJI ,h. pow.. of our m....., • 1"""'" th., e>o
he re.:liud only by .urp..riog ,h. ",lit"'}' I"'rvert model and «ce..iog
group üleolity. Doing 00 .0,,,;1. ""¡oling lhe priv.tizalioo of queer ruJ'ure
for whieh the &,y p"'gm>'i'" .ueh >JI Anm.,.. 5u1liv.n, G.briel Rot.no,
md Broce Ba",er el>mor. lbe o." d>y th. N,", rork Post h.adlio. r..d,
"G>y Riot" lt "'.. more oearly. qu... <iot, where queer eoergi.. m.oi-
f<ol.d th.rmelv", ..,d ,h••l.t. ,eopood<d ",ith e>lrubt<d forr, md brotal
protocol•. lb. rio< "'... ",bering becau.. th. m«h.oi.m. of polidog ",..,re
p.,-tWly displ>yed, ,,,,...:Ied fo,.o ",..,ning, md i' becam. v''Y d • ., to
<Ye'Y0oe pre..ot hOlo' th. id•• of qu..", maling coo,.ct in. m... upri.-
ing OCarN ,he .l.t•. lb. u'opian promi'" of our public pertonn..,« w..
'o
re.pooded with u..ttering fo,ce. E..o thoogb thi. imprompto «hellioo
"'... o,..rrom ily b)' th••l.t., ,h••eli,;.. anger, • productive, geo....-
tive "'ger, lel ,ho mbled io ...ge gl.. n • queer fulure ",i!hio • repre.-
.i,.. h.t.rooonn.li.. pre..ot.

Makíog Utopía

Adorno pr",;d<d ••uecioc< «ndering of utopio wh.n he deocrihed it ..

••i.tiog io "th. d.t.nnioed oeg>tion of th., which merely i•." lhi. 0'-
g>lioo poiot. "lo wh., IDould he."'- lbe work J h.ve coMidered io lhi.
dupt.. 1001<. 'o wh.l is:md f..hioOl importaot critiqueo uf ,he pre..ot
by inshtiog 00 ,he pre..oÚ di.:lectk>l relatino 'o lhe futur<o Our eritidun
u.ould, lik. ,h, ca",. I ha,.. ""'''y«!, b. iofu.ed w~h • ulopian fuoclioo
th.l i••ttuoed lo lhe ".nticip.to'Y iIlumin>'ion" uf ",t .od ruJ'ure. 5ueh
ilIuminatioo euti 'hrougb f...¡;mentiog dulm....nd ..uow"" to "'" th.
polilic.U)' .n>bling whol•. 5ueh iIlumin>'ion will prOl'id. u. with >ce<..
to. world ,hat ohould he, tlu, eould he, and llut wiU he.

Muñoz, Jos? Esteban. Cruising Utopia : The Then and There of Queer Futurity.
New York, NY, USA: NYU Press, 2009. p 77.
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