This book investigates the role of causality in queer politics and identity, questioning the reliance on biological determinism and the cultural obsession with origins. Valerie Rohy, a scholar in gender and sexuality studies, examines how the search for causes—whether framed as corruption by opponents or as innate biology by advocates—shapes the discourse surrounding LGBT rights. By analyzing a range of texts from the late nineteenth century to the present, she argues for a shift away from etiological explanations toward a more nuanced understanding of queer existence that accounts for contingency and retroactivity.

Scholars in the field of queer theory recognize this work as a significant intervention in the debate over identity politics and the limitations of causal narratives. Readers frequently note the academic density of the prose, which requires familiarity with psychoanalytic and critical theory frameworks to fully engage with the author's arguments.