Queer Theory and Toto's Soul

Until graduate studies, I never really considered queer theory a "serious, academic discipline." It was always interesting, but was lacking the "-ism" that all the "real" disciplines have: structuralism, deconstructionism, new historicism, etc. Now that I'm enlightened, however, queer theory has philosophical implications concerning the identity of the homosexual.

In Queer Theories, Donald E. Hall provides an historical survey of homosexuality. One of the sexologists of the 19th century that Hall criticizes is Karl Ulrichs and metaphysical explanation of homosexuality. As Hall writes:

Ultimately, Ulrichs based his defense of homosexuality on the premise that same-sex desiring individuals had the soul of the other sex's body trapped within them. Ulrichs thereby meant to validate homosexuality as metaphysically determined, yet as Joseph Bristow has noted, "this idea would have a lasting and damaging influence on twentieth-century prejudices against homosexuals. For it set the trend for imagining that lesbians and gay men were 'inverts'" (Sexuality 21-2). (Hall 32)

Puig seems to pick up on the metaphysicality of inversion in BETRAYED BY RITA HAYWORTH in the second segment from Toto's thought. For example:

...and he holds me in his arms against his chest and holds me real firm so nobody can pull me away with a yank, and it would be even better if we were stuck together, because then nobody could pull me away from the other side: I'll be stuck to his chest then, and without him knowing I'll slip inside the chest of Alicita's uncle, and from now on nobody can keep us apart, because I'm going to be inside of him like the soul is inside the body, I'm going to be next to his soul, wrapped up in his soul. (Puig 73-74)

Toto's emphasis on connecting with Alicita's uncle's soul illustrates the young boy's homosexuality. Moreover, it displaces the physical aspect of homosexuality and, in doing so, allows Toto to ignore his sexual identity as a child.