Li Yinhe talks about sex

Chapter 36 Foucault's Perspectives on Homosexuality
Foucault sees homosexuality as a style of being, a form of being, an art of living, and definitely not a sexual identity, essence or kind.

Foucault never participated in the gay liberation movement, nor did he study the causes of homosexuality.Once, a reporter asked him whether homosexuality was born or acquired. Foucault said that I have absolutely nothing to say on this issue, and I have no comment. The reason he said this is: "I just don't want to talk about issues outside of my expertise." Some people once complained that Foucault, as a gay man, did nothing for the gay movement. Foucault has his reasons for this, the most important of which, in my opinion, is his negative attitude towards identity politics He has never hidden his sexuality, but has serious misgivings about identity politics.

Foucault's basic position on the issue can be seen in a few of his few talks on homosexuality.

First, about identity politics.

Foucault puts it very clearly: "I think the term 'homosexual' has become obsolete because of the changes in our perception of sexuality. We see our pursuit of pleasure being largely imposed on us by a set of Vocabulary is limited. A person is neither this nor that, neither gay nor straight. There is an infinitely wide range of what we call sexuality." In ancient Greece, ancient Rome, It is a common social practice for grown men to love young men, and it is not a problem for women to fall in love with each other, as evidenced by Sappho's girls' school.A person does not identify as a homosexual because of same-sex love and sexual relations.The same is true of our ancient China.History books record countless historical facts of emperors falling in love with male pets, but no one thinks that a certain emperor is gay because of this.The identity of homosexuals only appeared in modern times, which has greatly misled people.

Foucault talked about the specific date and signs of the emergence of the identity category of "homosexual" in the first volume of "History of Sexuality".He writes: "We should not forget that homosexuality comes into its own in psychology, psychoanalysis, medicine when it is characterized by a certain degree of sexuality, by some way of its own sexual reversal, rather than by Formed when characterized by a sexual relationship - its birth may be marked by Westford's famous 1870 essay on 'Reversed Sexual Sensations'. When homosexuality is transposed from a perverted sexual practice to a An inner hermaphrodite, a psychic co-existence, takes the form of a sexual state. The manly man is only a temporary disorder; the homosexual is now a species."

On various occasions, Foucault has repeatedly expressed the idea that the category "homosexuality" is an incomplete category, saying: "I do not think it makes sense to speak of homosexual styles. Even at an essential level, the term homosexuality is doesn't make a lot of sense.... I think it's ultimately an incomplete category. Incomplete because, on the one hand, we can't really categorize behavior and the term doesn't really reflect a certain type of experience. We might say that there is a 'gay style', or at least an ongoing effort to recreate a certain style of being, a form of being, a certain art of living, which may be called 'gay'." Like the ancient Greeks, like the ancient Chinese, Foucault sees homosexuality as a style of being, a form of being, an art of living, and definitely not a sexuality. Identity, sexuality, or category of sex.

According to the above logic, Foucault logically opposes the action of "coming out" (figuratively called "coming out of the closet") advocated in gay identity politics, because the premise of this action is exactly: everyone has a fixed sexuality. identity, and this identity should be made public.In a meeting with gay activists in 1982, he pointed out: Our relationship with ourselves is not a relationship of identification, but a relationship of mutation, creation, innovation.It's boring to keep the same. In his view, the requirement to acknowledge "I'm gay" is an affirmation of "a cage, a trap."One day, 'Are you gay? ’ question, would seem like ‘Are you celibate? ' is as natural as this question". We all know that celibacy is just a way of life that people voluntarily choose not to marry, and no one is crazy enough to study the unique nature of a celibate. Then, The same is true for homosexuals. In an ideal society, people will no longer pursue whether a person is in love with a man or a woman. Beauty will become the main criterion for people to choose a partner in the future.

On the basis of opposing identity politics, Foucault further proposed that the homosexual question should be opposed to the question of "who am I? What is the secret of my desire?" Instead, he advocated changing the question to "through homosexuality, What relationships can be established, invented, multiplied, adjusted”?Because homosexuality "is not a form of desire, but something desirable".As discussed above, "becoming oneself" in Nietzsche's sense is "the search for a certain way of life".Homosexuality is not a certain transcendental essence in the human heart, but a state that can be entered by people's choice, a self in the process of formation, and an alternative way of life.

Foucault further advocated abandoning the binary opposition between homosexuality and heterosexuality, that is, abandoning identity politics, and returning to the attitudes and concepts of same-sex relations in ancient society.Commenting on Boswell's work on the history of homosexuality, Foucault said: "Methodologically, Boswell rejects the opposition between the categories of homosexuality and heterosexuality that underlies our culture. Views of homosexuality play a large role, and his approach represents an advance not only in scholarship but also in cultural criticism."

Second, about friendship.

One area that has historically been associated with homosexuality is friendship.Foucault said in an interview with the "Herald" newspaper: "Since ancient times, in how many centuries, friendship has always been a very important way of social relations, from which people have a certain freedom and a certain choice, and friendship also has a strong force. Emotional relationships, I think it was in the 16th and 17th centuries that this kind of friendship disappeared, at least in men's society... One of my assumptions is that homosexuality, sexual relations between men was an issue in the 18th century. We see It clashed with the police, the judicial system, etc. Homosexuality became a social problem because friendship disappeared. As long as friendship remained an important factor and accepted by society, no one thought about sex between men. Between them It doesn't matter if you have sex or not. But once the culturally accepted relationship of friendship disappears, the question arises: 'What do guys do together?' The birth of political-medical homosexuality is the same process.” Fei Xiaotong also mentioned friendship between men when he described the relationship between men in rural Chinese society. He found that among the people he investigated, men and women The relationship between men is quite formal and has many taboos, but there is an intimate relationship almost brotherhood between men.

Because of the disappearance of this kind of friendship in modern times, people think that homosexuality has become a problem and a weird relationship.After monogamy became the only legal sexual relationship, the only sexual relationship that conformed to the code of conduct, and the only sexual relationship that complied with social morality and values, the existence of homosexual relationships revealed a concept and value in ancient times. It also has an impact on the only correct way of life that people think.Foucault said that I think the most troublesome thing for non-homosexuals is the style of homosexual life, not the homosexual behavior itself. …I am referring to the common fear that homosexuals will form an intense and satisfying relationship even though they do not obey the other-approved laws of relationship.The last thing people tolerate is gay people creating a relationship that never existed. "It's a relationship that ignores notions of possession and loyalty. It may not be long-lasting, it may not be consistent, but it's an intense, happy-feeling relationship. It goes against everything we've been taught Can one live like this? Can one form such a relationship? In Foucault's view, this is the most difficult thing for non-homosexuals to accept, and it is also the most envied aspect of a homosexual way of life. one aspect.

Third, about the public's tolerance of homosexuality.

Although Foucault never participated in the gay liberation movement, he expressed his position on homosexuality on many occasions, attacking people's misconceptions, stupidity and hypocrisy.For example, there have been heated debates in society about whether homosexuals can be teachers. People who oppose homosexual teaching believe that homosexual teachers will mislead students about their sexual orientation, and they will even harass students.In this regard, Foucault expressed the following opinions: As long as society still refuses to recognize the living conditions of homosexuals, teachers, as homosexuals, will only have frightening consequences for students.A gay teacher should be no more problematic than a bald teacher, or a male teacher in a girls' school, or an Arab teacher in sixteenth-century Paris. "In fact, there are far more instances of teachers harassing students of the opposite sex in schools.

In response to the hypocrisy and ignorance of people on the issue of homosexuality, Foucault said this: "Maybe the intellectual world is talking about these things more openly now, but this does not mean greater tolerance. Sometimes it is quite the opposite. I remember ten Up to 15 years ago, I used to socialize in some bourgeois circles, and there was not a single evening where homosexuality and sodomy were not talked about - usually after dessert. But these people who talked openly would never tolerate their sons being sodomized. … Sociologists, sexologists, psychiatrists, doctors, moralists, they say a lot of stupid things, but people in the same profession say some good things. So it's not about intellectual discourse, it's about The question of stupid words versus smart words."

Finally, on the goals of the gay movement.

Foucault argues that homosexuals' efforts to create some kind of class consciousness have been unsuccessful.Regarding the political goals of the gay movement, he made two points: "First, the issue of freedom of sexual choice must be confronted. I am talking about freedom of sexual 'choice', not freedom of sexual 'act', because some sexual Behavior is not tolerated, such as rape, whether it happens between a man and a woman or between two men. I don't think we should strive for absolute freedom of sexual behavior. However, when it comes to freedom of sexual choice, we should never compromise , including the freedom of expression of such a choice. I am referring here to the freedom to express such a choice publicly or not to express such a choice publicly. Now, at the legislative level, there has been considerable progress in this regard, towards tolerance direction, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Second, the gay movement could have the goal of raising the question of the impact of sexual choices, behaviors, and relationships on individuals in a given society...I do not mean Legalization as the goal. What we are dealing with here is a series of issues of recognition of homosexuality - within the framework of law and society - that address the different relationships of individuals."

The freedom of choice proposed by Foucault is aimed not only at the general repression of homosexuality by social norms, but also at the "disclosure" campaign promoted by some gay activists who once exposed political figures who were reluctant to publicly admit their homosexuality , forcing them to speak up for the gay movement.The freedom of choice advocated by Foucault very clearly includes the freedom to choose to express publicly and to choose not to express publicly.The ultimate goal of the gay movement should be legal and social recognition of homosexuality.This issue will ultimately come down to the category of individual rights, that is, individuals should have the right to make sexual choices, to engage in sexual behaviors and establish sexual relationships that they like without harming others.I think this is Foucault's attitude on the issue of homosexuality, and it is also the attitude that everyone with a modern concept of individual rights should hold on this issue.

(End of this chapter)