What does it mean to say that queerness is ontological? In this episode, we’re joined by Billie Cashmore and Xenogothic (Mattie Colquhoun) to explore the philosophical foundations and political tensions surrounding queerness, normativity, and the symbolic order. Drawing on thinkers like Judith Butler, Heidegger, and Lacan, we examine queerness not simply as identity, but as a condition of social and ontological failure—and potential. What happens when queerness claims both radical subversion and historical universality?
Adam Jones recently invited me to have a conversation with Billie Cashmore on the Acid Horizon podcast, building on her recent essay for Splinter Mag, “On the Political Character of Queerness”, and my later discussion of it on the blog, “The Hauntology of Transness”. In a wonderful twist of fate, after many years of appearing infrequently on the Acid Horizon podcast whilst trapped in a quarantine world of Zoom, I happened to be in London on the date proposed, so Adam, Billie and I had our discussion in the living room of their flat. It was deeply enjoyable and I’m excited for others to hear what I think was a really productive chat.
This episode is also a nice corollary to the recently released conversation I had with Alex and Bella on the Ban Sex Now! podcast, which was recorded three years ago and will probably give you some sense of how much has changed for me over the years — not least my voice…
Also, if you want to make it a queer trifecta, I’d also recommend the previous episode of Acid Horizon as well, featuring Alexander Stoffel discussing his book Eros and Empire, “which traces the transnational roots of sexual freedom movements in the U.S. [to show] how desire has been both constrained by and mobilized against imperial and capitalist systems.”