Queer Rights?

Altman and Symons commence their discussion of ‘Queer rights as human rights’ by referencing Hillary Clinton’s famous ‘gay rights are human rights’ speech at the United Nations in 2011. Her speech, they say, ‘reflects the view of most contemporary queer activists’ (Altman and Symons2016, 73). This, I think, is questionable, and depends very heavily on a domestication of what is meant by queer, especially for activists. Hillary Clinton is the quintessential establishment insider, and there is no doubt that her role in pushing for gay or LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) rights at the United Nations was significant and flagged a political turning point. However, by starting with Clinton and the United Nations, Altman and Symons indicate something about their approach to human rights which I wish to unpack. By focusing on the top-down regime of international human rights, they run the risk of losing the ethos of radical and queer activism evident in the stories they tell about the emerging global movement.