Why Do Rupp And Taylor Outline Two Primary Reasons Why Girls Kiss Other Girls

Part One: Question #1 Rupp and Taylor outline two primary reasons why girls kiss other girls in their article “Queer Dilemmas of Desire.” First, within party culture, kissing other girls can be normalized as a form of performative behavior and experimentation, often for the entertainment or approval of others, especially men. This normalization occurs under condition that uphold heteronormativity, where same-sex behavior is deemed acceptable temporarily but not as a legitimate expression of queer sexuality. This context reinforces sexual hierarchies that prioritize heterosexual relationships as the norm. Another common phenomenon that leads to girls kissing girls is the development of romantic feelings for a close friend, challenging fixed

Gayle Rubin’s main argument in the diagram is that society categorizes and judges sexual behaviors and identities according to a sort of moral hierarchy. The forms of sexuality listed on the innermost part of the circle are deemed the acceptable and normal conditions while the scenarios on the outermost part of the circle represent the deviant and immortal side of sexual behaviors/practices. Rubin emphasizes that these distinctions are socially constructed and serve to reinforce power dynamics rather than reflecting inherent differences in the behaviors themselves. It is also important to note that the diagram does not explicitly address race, which adds another complex layer to the intersection of sexuality and social hierarchies. Rubin introduces two other key concepts with the Charmed Circle: sexual essentialism and sexual hierarchies. Sexual essentialism refers to the belief that sex is a natural force that exists prior to social life and ultimately shapes behaviors. Rubin argues that sexual essentialism forms the basis for the judgment depicted by the circle, where categorizing certain sexual behaviors as “natural” and others as “unnatural” serves to justify the moral hierarchy. Sexual hierarchies, the other concept introduced by Rubin, describes the societal rankings that place some sexual practices over others. The Charmed Circle illustrates these hierarchies, outlining which practices are deemed okay and which are not, highlighting how social and cultural norms sustain discrimination. The diagram's exclusion of race neglects how racial dynamics intersect with sexual norms, adding another layer of complexity to the understanding of these social hierarchies. The Charmed Circle exposes identity, behavioral, and social inequality