The first thing that struck me in
Froyum’s article “At Least I’m Not Gay”, is the dynamic of control and
masculinity. By analyzing past studies, Froyum points out that men of higher
class have the resources to prove their power and status to others. Low-status
men on the other hand don’t have legitimate resources and thus are subjected to
using “physical capital and essentialist gender ideologies”. As we examined in
Tough Guise and Guyland, violence resonates with masculinity. While this may
not be anything new, it made me think about how
different implementations of power can be. It is rare that you see a white,
upper class, business man getting into a violent fight. Rather than being physical it is his physical demeanor that shows control – his business suit,
his clean-cut shaven look that shows others he is confident and powerful. But
is this always true? There have been innumerable incidents where a politician –
who is socially constructed to be polite and straight-edged, who is caught
having sexual relations with someone of the same sex. It’s publicized
everywhere, and his life is suddenly exposed to the public eye – his wife and
kids are victims of his actions. But what else was he supposed to do? He was a
public figure, if he came out of the closet, he would have never been
successful. It’s sad to think that our society has stigmatized homosexual
behavior as so sinful that once you become a leader in society, you have to
change your identity. This resonates with Froyum’s findings that boys’ and
girls’ sexuality was stigmatized so intensely that they began to alter the way
in which they presented themselves to others (p. 619).
As I read on, I became interested
in the stories told by the UYN youth. Some of the kids, both boys and girls,
blamed being homosexual on spending too much time with the opposite sex. One
girl believed that if she spent too much time with her cousin who was a
lesbian, she would want “to try and be homosexual” too. It’s as though they
thought that gay was a disease, which seems unfathomable to me. To be honest,
this is depressing. Throughout my sociology courses, I have read various
progressive articles saying that we have moved on from people believing you can
be diagnosed with homosexuality. But, this just contradicts everything completely.
This article leaves me wondering
about the bisexual society. It seems that it has become more and more popular
for celebrities to come out as bisexual. They are attracted to both males and
females. Will a female hide that she identifies as a lesbian by saying she is
bisexual or is she truly infatuated by both male and female? Froyum calls on
Calhoun’s point that “heterosexism displaces gay boys and lesbian girls from
civil society, both public and private, by forcing them into the closet” (p.
619). Society forces such extreme stereotypes and negative consequences of
being gay that we discourage people from being comfortable with their identity.
So is saying you are bisexual an easy way out?
Jenn, I think you posed a great question for thought at the end of your post relating to bisexuality as a way to lessen the stigma associated with a homosexual identity. I am friends with individuals who identify as bisexual, but I am constantly hearing other people making claims that this is just an "easy way out," as you said, in coming to terms with one's true sexual orientation. I do not really know what the answer is, but if being bisexual really is a way to lessen the blow of society's and possibly even one's own harsh judgements of him/herself for being homosexual, it is truly a sad testament to the ways in which socially constructed negative stereotypes can affect a person's identity formation. People should never be forced to sacrifice who they are, partially or wholly, in order to be accepted by others, especially for something that they cannot change or they did not choose. It is as ridiculous as someone claiming that people born with brown hair are more superior, moral, and accepted than those born with blonde hair.
ReplyDeleteI also liked the fact that you mentioned the population of influential political figures who have privately had homosexual affairs while publicly leading a seemingly fulfilling and happy heterosexual lifestyle. Many people blame these politicians for being "sinful" and lying to their families, friends, and the general public about their true sexual identities. In my opinion, it is the people calling homosexuality "sinful," such as the adolescents at UYN, who should be reprimanded for the fact that these politicians feel they must have secretive same-sex affairs. It is really a lose-lose scenario for these politicians. If these politicians are openly gay, they would lose much respect and political/ financial support from those who hold hetero-supremacist views, yet if these politicians are caught having affairs, they, on top of the aforementioned effects, will be deemed "liars" and disgraces to their families. -Alexa Campagna
I also really liked the point you brought up about politicians and other people in the public eye being afraid to come out as gay and subsequently hiding their sexuality. After reading this article, I feel like it could be easy to believe that someone who held a lot of power in our society would feel comfortable coming out as gay. However, as you point out, that is usually not the case. Even though they already have power in our society, they still realize that being gay is something that would have dramatic negative repercussions on their career and public image.
ReplyDeleteI also like how you brought up the topic of bisexuality and how many people see it as easier than coming out as gay. In my opinion, I actually feel that the opposite is sometimes true. Last semester, in my Race, Gender and the Mass Media class, we discussed how almost all the images of bisexual people in the media are negative. Bisexual people in the media are highly sexualized, portrayed as promiscuous, and are often times made out to be simply confused. Overall, I think that many people feel that bisexuality is not a legitimate sexuality - it's just a pit stop on the way to coming out as gay. Thus, I feel like it may be just as hard, or harder, for people to come out as bisexual as it is for people to come out as gay.