Mean Little Deaf Queer Terry Galloway Analysis

If Galloway’s construction of desire was affected by her intersectional identity, then her later sexual and romantic endeavors certainly shine a light on how her dual status as deaf and queer could potentially influence such experiences. Even though the inclusion of these sexual and romantic encounters can seem extraneous when considering Mean Little deaf Queer as a text about disability, their presence makes it alarmingly clear that Terry Galloway isn’t simply a deaf woman—she is deaf and queer, in all aspects of her life. Hence, these stories are vital. In one of her many explicitly detailed rendezvous with women, Galloway expresses her fear of being seen out of drag, or presenting her “real” self (121). Thus, despite her previous breakdowns, …show more content…
Continuing with this expulsion, Galloway notes that “midway into the polka, [she would] become aware that the breath in [her] ear wasn’t the random happy panting of sexual frenzy but the cadence breath of persistent speech” (130). Her partners’ attempts to communicate with her are often done in vain. This exact instance shines a blinding light on why the inclusion of such scenes are necessary; that is, her experiences simply differ wildly from the hearing, queer public, as well as from experiences of deaf folk who don’t identify as queer. Galloway is essentially being tossed into two extremes, not knowing how to navigate sexual encounters with other women while simultaneously being unable to understand her partner’s gesticulations “with the lights on dim,” which she clarifies as not being “the ideal environment for lip reading” (130). However, it is important to note that Galloway’s struggles do not merely end with her inability to communicate during sexual encounters. Her intersectional identity puts a strain on her romantic endeavors as well, particularly demonstrated by her encounters with her current partner, Donna