Miles Jackson :
-clip- in my view, the relatively recent cultural phenomenon of stable sexual identities is simply a basis for social control in industrial societies. -clip-
^^^^^^
CB: Well said. A complicating aspect is that there is some evidence that ruling classes down through history have also "destabilized" sexual identities as a way to control socially. It may be that "both and opposites" have been used, stabilization as well as destabilization as ruling class methods of social control of masses and the working classes.
However, thereby , socalled destabilization of sexual identity can be "coming from" the ruling class as readily as socalled stabilization of sexual identity. The overall theoretical situation in this area is thereby highly contradictory.
A concrete example is contemporary prison. There, destabilization of sexual identity is used as a method of social control by the state power representing the ruling class in the U.S. today. It is a form of torture and punishment, in the U.S. new slavery system. That's the stick.
Another, older example of the carrot, would be many of those "rough white boys on boats" from the British empire. There, a certain destabilization of sexual identity served to keep the boys happy,shall we say gay ?, while they went around the world kickin' ass for her or his majesty. This was critical social control for building capitalism.