Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick outlines the concept of “habit” in several different levels. Her definition of habit is useful to the creation of queer space as she claims that the various definitions of “habit” can be mediated between several dichotomies for example, as the mediator between “active” and “passive”, or “intimate” and “private”.
Sedgwick intersects the first three definitions of “habit” with (1) The physical condition of the body, (2) Clothing on the body and (3) Customary practices. These three definitions illustrate the most intimate (body) and public (clothing and interaction/avoidance). In terms of queer space, we can use Sedgwick's definitions to think about how queer people construct or control their physique and to what “norms” or attributes they follow and what clothing to wear on queer bodies to express in public their class, profession and what brand of clothing? As for (3), how are queer people tempted or perhaps forced to interact or avoid? Sedgwick says in definition (3), What does is mean to a well body to walk into a hospital? To a sick body?”. This is significant in thinking about queer space as we can question what it means for a queer body to walk into a nightclub that caters to heterosexual groups? Or for a queer body to pretend their bodies are straight in that nightclub?
Definition (5) and (6) of habit (“natural” habitation, place of residence) is also at an intimate level, however, it intersects with the public level as well if we think of queer space. The intimate level of habitation is what one would call home, but Sedgwick also illustrates the consumerism or structuralism of property and outlines that although queer people create value with these properties and structures, she also says that “queer needs, people, communities are involved on both sides of conflicts around displacement, exclusion, and quiet forms of violence...”. This is significant because of the interaction of the comfort of being at peace in the structure of the “home” and discomfort of being excluded in the structures of urban life. Definition (6) is interesting because it touches on the “natural” place for life and growth. When we think of queer space however, we can think of how queer individuals are attached with a stigma of being “unnatural” or “abnormal”. One could question if the natural environment of a queer neighbourhood is even a natural space as they are still subject to violence and face issues to rights.
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