Queer In-Betweenness: Between the Binaries in Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Jeffrey Eugenides’ Middlesex

Abstract

Historically, bisexuality and intersex identities have been overlooked. Even in the queer community, bisexuals and intersex individuals had to bring their voices higher in order to be heard, through literature, testimonies and activism. However, even in the 21st century, the academic discussion and queer activism haven’t given enough visibility to the fictional representation of characters as models for younger audiences. Because literature works as a tool to connect communities and enables a space of performance and introspection, queer novels about bisexuality and intersex identities such as Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Jeffrey Eugenides’ Middlesex should be easily available for the youth. This thesis will analyze the personal journey through the bisexual awakening of Evelyn Hugo and the intersex realization of Cal Stephanides in order to expose the invisibility of these identities as well as the novels’ depiction of queer oppression suffered during the mid-20th century in the US.

In Evelyn’s case, oppression takes the form of sexual, verbal and physical abuse towards a woman and the rejection and silence of queer individuals. For Evelyn, this silence caused her to hide her relationship with a woman in order to keep their privileges as Hollywood celebrities and their human right to live and work. In Cal, as an intersex individual who did not know about their intersex identity from birth to their puberty, presents the reflections of a difficult and confusing journey of being treated and raised as a girl while never feeling it was the right gender or term for them. However, in an accident in 1974, during their puberty, their life completely changes by the realization of their intersex body and the possibility of becoming the man they actually feel themselves to be. However, both bisexuality and intersex identity do not only share these negative experiences but also the understanding and experience of shared space, the in-betweenness, of gender (male-female) and sexual orientation (heterosexuality-homosexuality).

Historically, bisexuality and intersex identities have been overlooked. Even in the queer community, bisexuals and intersex individuals had to bring their voices higher in order to be heard, through literature, testimonies and activism. However, even in the 21st century, the academic discussion and queer activism haven’t given enough visibility to the fictional representation of characters as models for younger audiences. Because literature works as a tool to connect communities and enables a space of performance and introspection, queer novels about bisexuality and intersex identities such as Taylor Jenkins Reid’s The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo and Jeffrey Eugenides’ Middlesex should be easily available for the youth. This thesis will analyze the personal journey through the bisexual awakening of Evelyn Hugo and the intersex realization of Cal Stephanides in order to expose the invisibility of these identities as well as the novels’ depiction of queer oppression suffered during the mid-20th century in the US.

In Evelyn’s case, oppression takes the form of sexual, verbal and physical abuse towards a woman and the rejection and silence of queer individuals. For Evelyn, this silence caused her to hide her relationship with a woman in order to keep their privileges as Hollywood celebrities and their human right to live and work. In Cal, as an intersex individual who did not know about their intersex identity from birth to their puberty, presents the reflections of a difficult and confusing journey of being treated and raised as a girl while never feeling it was the right gender or term for them. However, in an accident in 1974, during their puberty, their life completely changes by the realization of their intersex body and the possibility of becoming the man they actually feel themselves to be. However, both bisexuality and intersex identity do not only share these negative experiences but also the understanding and experience of shared space, the in-betweenness, of gender (male-female) and sexual orientation (heterosexuality-homosexuality).