Post-Frank Ocean Masculinity is the usurpation of queer aesthetics and proximities as recapitulation to a more “modern” cisheteronormativity, which employs queerness to reterritorialize masculinity for more Patriarchal futures.

So now the territory of cisheterosexuality includes “progressive” performances of masculinity—as opposed to toxic ones: aesthetics and postures that superficially trouble the astringent mandates of hypermasculine performance w/o material divestments from/critique of Gender.

In this way, queer aesthetics comes to work for compulsory heterosexuality because heterosexuality with post-Frank Ocean masculinity appears to be transgressive instead of compulsive.

Queer aesthetics don’t require queer people to perform them. Patriarchy has evolved.

Post-Frank Ocean masculinity accomodates sexual ambiguity for proximity to queer cultures and validity in queer commons to purchase queer aesthetics, while maintaining a hygienic distance from the sexual degeneracy and desire politic queerness *also* indexes.

i think it is important to attend to Eric Stanley’s most recent advice: “I think one way of monitoring normative power is by paying attention to what concessions it is most willing to make.”

And the “hygienic dislinkages” of queerness—as Eve Sedgwick once put it—is the most frequent modality of modern concession. From #Moonlight to Frank Ocean to the muscle gays.

The desire to divorce queerness of its (im)moral claims and degenerate moods is the desire to homogenize queerness and make it palatable for patriarchy, which is really the desire to preserve cisheterosexist power and sensibility.

it’s in all the very queer decision to wear jockstraps and mascara and the very antiqueer need to be seen as still invested/interested in cisheterosex.

it’s in the very queer decision to have queer “community” and the very antiqueer need to sanitize your politics of desire.

It’s in the very queer decision to claim your queerness and in the very antiqueer need to perform (hegemonic) masculinity—which, again, can look like painted nails and thigh tattoos.