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‘Reclaiming raunch’? Spatializing queer identities at Toronto women's bathhouse events

2007; Taylor & Francis; Volume: 8; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1080/14649360701251809

1470-1197

Catherine J. Nash, Alison L. Bain,

African Sexualities and LGBTQ+ Issues

Abstract In this paper we examine the tensions inherent in the queer politics of Canada's first women-only bathhouse event, the 'Pussy Palace'. Organized by the Toronto Women's Bathhouse Committee (TWBC), this event is designed to provide women with a 'safe' and 'supportive' space in which to explore alternative gendered and sexualized identities. We draw on in-depth, semi-structured interviews with organizers, sponsors and participants of the Pussy Palace to consider how the process of 'queering space', which is often interpreted as libratory, can paradoxically discipline gendered and sexualized selves. We argue that queer identities and spaces can be distinct from and oppositional to gay and lesbian identities and spaces. With this argument we contribute to a substantial body of geographical literature on sexualities, and to more recent critical work on queer geographies. Nous examinons dans cet article les tensions propres aux politiques queer du premier événement jamais tenu au Canada dans un bain public pour femmes, le «Pussy Palace». Cet événement, proposé par un comité responsable du bain public pour femmes de Toronto (le TWBC), est imaginé dans l'optique de mettre un espace «sûr» et favorable à la disposition de femmes qui leur permet d'explorer des identités parallèles différenciées selon le genre et sexualisées. Des entrevues en profondeur semi-structurées menées auprès d'organisatrices, de commanditaires et de participantes au Pussy Palace nous amènent à examiner de quelle façon le processus menant à un «espace queer», lequel est souvent interprété comme étant libérateur, peut paradoxalement assujettir des êtres différenciés selon le sexe et sexualisés. Nous soutenons que les identités et les espaces queer peuvent se distinguer et être en porte-à-faux avec les identités et espaces homosexuels et lesbiens. Un tel argument nous permet de contribuer au corpus des connaissances existantes en géographie dans le domaine des sexualités, et aux plus récents travaux critiques sur les géographies queer. En este artículo examinamos las tensiones inherentes en la política queer del primer evento sólo para mujeres que se llevó a cabo en un baño público en Canadá—Pussy Palace. Organizado por el Toronto Women's Bathhouse Committee—TWBC (el Comité Femenino de Baños Públicos de Toronto), el objetivo del evento fue proveerles a las mujeres un espacio 'seguro' y 'apoyador' donde se podía explorar alternativas identidades sexualizadas y generizadas. Recurrimos a entrevistas exhaustivas y semiestructuradas con organizadores, patrocinadores y participantes de Pussy Palace para considerar cómo el proceso del 'queering' de un espacio, a menudo interpretado como proceso equilibrante, puede, paradójicamente, disciplinar a los seres generizados y sexualizados. Sugerimos que las identidades y los espacios queer pueden ser distintos de, y contrarios a, las identidades y los espacios gay y lésbica. Con este razonamiento contribuimos a un conjunto importante de literatura geográfica sobre sexualidades y también a trabajo crítico más reciente sobre las geografías de lo queer. Keywords: bathhousequeer spacesexualitytransgenderfeminismlesbian spaceKeywords: bain publicespace queersexualitétransgenreféminismeespace lesbienKeywords: baño públicoespacio queersexualidadtransgénerofeminismoespacio lésbico Acknowledgements We would like to thank the members of the Toronto Women's Bathhouse Committee for so generously donating their time and energy and for providing us with access to their records. We would also like to thank Trent University for providing the initial funding for this research and three anonymous reviewers for their detailed and constructive comments. Notes 1 As research collaborators and as lesbian women, the nature of the project demanded we reflect on our positionality and what it meant to place our lesbian bodies and identities in deliberately sexualized space (see Bain and Nash 2006 Bain, A. and Nash, C.J. 2006. Undressing the researcher: feminism, embodiment and sexuality at a queer bathhouse event. AREA, 38: 99–106. [Crossref], [Web of Science ®] , [Google Scholar]). While we do not have the space here to explore these issues fully, there are several points we feel require some clarification. From the outset, we realized that our differences in terms of age, life experience and sensitivities meant that we brought differing perspectives to the research project. This was both productive and, at times, frustrating as we struggled to work through our differing viewpoints on a range of issues. Second, we decided not to use the space of the bathhouse fully by having casual sex or actively participating in any of the sexual activities planned for the event for a number of reasons. This meant that as self-identified 'lesbians' we were both 'inside' and 'outside' the Pussy Palace project of queering space and queering identities. Our failure to make full use of the space in the ways the organizers intended raises questions about our ability to completely understand the TWBC's project in terms of reconstituting sexual practices and, ultimately, subjects. Finally, as researchers we remained unidentified as we circulated in bathhouses and perhaps appeared unwilling to participate in more than a voyeuristic and consumptive way for academic gain. 2 While the Pussy Palace could be considered a commercialization of women's sexual expression, we are reluctant to position it quickly and casually within the gay male literature on the commodification of sexuality without greater critical reflection. 3 The predominantly white and middle-class constitution of the TWBC raises a number of questions about racism and whether the bathhouse is truly open to non-white participants. Several committee members discuss several very painful incidents with respect to the composition of the committee and the concern that some ethnic and racialized groups in the community do not feel welcome at the events. The committee has clearly struggled with the question of racism and continues to try to make the bathhouse events accessible to all women. On a related note, Club Toronto is not wheelchair accessible which is a disappointment to many organizers and participants. 4 The term transgender is shorthand for people who live outside of normative sex/gender relations (Namaste 2000 Namaste, V.K. 2000. Invisible Lives: The Erasure of Transsexual and Transgendered People, Chicago: University of Chicago Press. [Google Scholar]). 5 For example, the name of the event, Pussy Palace, is not necessarily trans-inclusive as not all trans-people have genital surgery and possess a 'pussy'. 6 Several authors have written about the erasure of femmes and femme-phobia within lesbian culture and history (Harris and Crocker 1997 Harris, L. and Crocker, E. 1997. "Bad girls: sex, class, and feminist agency". In Femme: Feminists, Lesbians and Bad Girls, Edited by: Harris, L. and Crocker, E. 93–102. London and New York: Routledge. [Google Scholar]; Rugg 1997 Rugg, R.A. 1997. "How does she look?". In Femme, Feminists, Lesbians, and Bad Girls, Edited by: Harris, L. and Crocker, E. 175–189. New York: Routledge. [Google Scholar]). 7 < www.pussypalacetoronto.com> (accessed 24 August 2004).