LGBTQIA debate is about identity politics as advocates pursue social justice in the form of protection from persecution, discrimination, and prejudice because of one’s sexual orientation. In her article, Simone de Beauvoir discusses, in depth, about what being a woman means juxtaposing two things...
The Existential Debate on LGBTQIA: Simone de Beauvoir’s Perspective
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EXISTENTIAL DEBATE ON LGBTQIA
The Existential Debate on LGBTQIA: Simone de Beauvoir’s Perspective
Today, the debate on queering has intensified as people, across almost all societies,
voice their concerns over individual freedom and, most importantly, the right to choose one’s
identity. In essence, the LGBTQIA debate is about identity politics as advocates pursue social
justice in the form of protection from persecution, discrimination, and prejudice because of
one’s sexual orientation. In her article, Simone de Beauvoir discusses, in depth, about what
being a woman means juxtaposing two things: women as subjects or objects. Her view is that
women hold the power to determine how they perceive themselves and by extension, how
society perceives them. On account of that premise, de Beauvoir comes out as an avid
supporter of a more contemporary approach toward life especially as pertain to individuals’
sexual orientation.
Identity politics have rendered members of the LGBTQIA vulnerable to
discrimination and harassment especially in societies that do not embrace such kind of
individual freedom. As a result, instead of achieving social justice, the debate about the place
and position of the LGBTQIA community breeds cultural antagonism. In support,
Sudenkaarne (2021) noted that identity politics, as it is experienced in today’s societies,
signifies “a wide range of political activity and theorizing founded in the shared experiences
of injustice of members of certain social groups” (p. 21). For example, if members of the
LGTBQIA community are denied voting rights, then it becomes an issue of now their being
as human beings, but as people who deviate from the binary social system whereby
heterosexuality is the dominant sexual orientation. Insight gained is that such groups are
objectified and through such objectification, they are denied basic rights thereby undermining
their capacity to even demonstrate their civic responsibility. De Beauvoir (2008) would agree
because, based on her view, “… it is not the biological condition of women per se that
constitutes a handicap: it is how a woman construes this condition which renders it positive
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