Gay Lingo as a Form of Deviance

C.J. Pascoe’s book, Dude You’re A Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School, examines masculinity and its connection with sexuality through an eighteen-month study at River High School. The goal of Pascoe’s study is to explain how teenagers, teachers, and schooling construct adolescent masculinity through idioms of sexuality. In addition, the book investigates the relationships between gender and sexuality as it relates to a major social institution. Throughout the book she asks how heteronormitive and homophobic discourses, practices, and interactions produce masculine identities through focusing on gender and sexual practices of the students, teachers, and administrators.

Pascoe discusses how masculinity can function as a regulatory mechanism of gender in American adolescent boys. It has been found that the word ‘fag’ is not necessarily directed at a homosexual boy, but has taken on a new meaning in school age boys. It is being used as a disciplinary mechanism to police certain behaviors “out of fear of having the fag identity permanently” (Pascoe p.330). This kind of teasing and harassment can temporarily be place on any boy who shows signs of weakness or femininity. The high schoolers in the study told Pascoe that calling someone a fag was like telling them they were nothing or stupid (Pascoe p. 335). Boys could be called a fag for anything that he did that was opposite of masculine, even when it had nothing to do with his sexual preference. The fag discourse seemed to be just another way for the contest of masculinity to take

As a society, we feed off of each other for what a proper response to something may be. As children, we first look to see our mother’s reaction after falling down; if she is calm, I should also be. We look to each other for what a definition of things should be, as well. In the 1950’s, it was generally obscene for a woman on television to show her belly button, whereas today we will show nude breasts on primetime programming. This follows the sociological theory of symbolic interactionism, where society and individual social interaction provides a subjective meaning to deviant behavior. Many social definitions change for the better, however some change for the worse. One such example was once viewed as normal, with no second thoughts given to it, but now is seen as an actual social problem affecting some groups aversely. This is the topic of homosexuality, a subject that has been on the receiving end of both accepting and discriminating cultures for thousands of years.

In Stephen Mays’ essay “What about Gender Roles in Same-sex Relationships?” published in They Say I Say, the author discusses how people often assign gender roles automatically, even with gay and lesbian couples. Mays stresses the concept of femininity and masculinity, and also shows the difference in their roles, supports them with vivid imagery, and gives a rare example of gay male preferences, all while using the correct diction when referring to personal experiences. Although the author reiterates gender roles and their effect on same-sex relationships, he gives clear examples that support the idea of masculine or feminine qualities.

Martha Irvine, a graduate of the University of Michigan published an article titled Queer Evolution which talked about how the word “Queer” itself has evolved into the mainstream. Originally the word’s definition was to describe something as odd or weird. Society utilized the word “Queer” as an insult to the LGBTQ community. As more sexual orientations are being discovered, “Queer” became a more accepted word in the gay community in order to make things simpler. Irvine’s essay showed that whatever word we use, can affect a person depending on the intention, and the tone of how it’s being said. Irvine’s essay is very similar to Deborah Tannen’s essay You’re Wearing That which talks about the relationship between mother and daughter and how words have established expectations for women based on their appearance and behavior. Another essay that well connects with Tannen and Irvine’s articles is a section from a book written by Michael Kimmel titled Bros Before Hos’’: The Guy Code. Kimmel talks about “The Guy Code”, rules that a man should always follow in order to be considered a real man. Words are the reason why these standards have been established for all genders and sexualities. The relationships between parents and children would be better if words were replaced, which would abolish the expectations that society has for men and women.

Few people today know the true meaning of the word gay. Even fewer use it in its original context. To be gay was once a common and positive expression. When describing one’s mood, it meant that they were feeling lively and carefree. Gay could even be used to describe something that was “brightly colored” or “showy” (Merriam Webster, “Gay”). No one thought twice about it when people said they were “feeling gay” or “the sunset was gay.” However, this word is rarely used in that context in today’s society. Instead, it has taken on a completely different meaning and connotation. While gay had become something of a euphemism for prostitutes and their clients throughout the 19th century, it was ever changing. This change was gradual and began in the 1920s and 1930s. By this time, a “gay man” was no longer just a man that was promiscuous with women, but also one who was

In society, heterosexuality is a principal method of organizing institutions and regulating individual behavior. A culture based on ideas of heterosexuality values relationships that are between men and women; as a result, sexual contact occurring between same sex individuals is seen as deviant and labeled as homosexual. In her book, Ward explains how straight white men can have sex with other white men while retaining their heterosexuality in addition to gaining a masculine appeal. Ingraham and Namaste’s discussion of heteronormativity, heterogenders, and supplementarity aids in understanding why straight white men are not labeled as homosexual and how this functions to reproduce inequalities based on race, gender, and sexuality.

This paper will continue on, researching the societal change/acceptance in the gay and lesbian community as no longer being unorthodox and with the stigma coming from the gay community itself.

"It's my purple sweater,” I responded, as my 4th-grade classmates surrounded me, questioning my outfit. Then they said it, the two words that would forever exasperate my adolescence, "That's gay!" And like that, the trend began. From that day on, my typical mannerisms, my lisp, my endless giggling, my fidgeting, were all characterized as gay. The constant bombardment of slurs like "Gayson" bewildered me, resulting in an inner abashment. I was afraid; I was ashamed of who I was.

In order to answer the first question, I tried to think about a language-related controversy that most people have heard about. The first thing that popped into my mind was the stereotypical “gay accent,” and whether it is a choice, or something that men do not have control over. I also want to look at how the “gay accent” aligns with one’s true sexual orientation. I just recently watched the documentary film entitled “Do I Sound Gay,” and thought that it would be an interesting topic to discuss. The “gay accent” or the “gay lisp” is a large part of our culture. When most Americans hear characteristics of the “gay accent” in someone’s speech, that person is usually tagged as being homosexual without any other knowledge of the person.

The purpose of this review is to narrate and provide the details of published academic studies about the

Nevertheless, there are differing views on the popular culture belief of lisp as representation of homosexuality. Some have thought it a strong cue. On the other hand, Professor Benjamin Munson believes that there is no evidence that gay men lisp and the few gay men who do lisp just show the performativity of sexuality. The experiments by Mark and Munson (2010:198) earlier suggest that there is an association between the quality of /s/ and the perception of sexual orientation by the listeners. This is backed by numerous studies on fricatives as a salient tool for identification of a gay man, especially the /s/ sound (Munson et al.

In 1970’s Laud Humphrey published the book The Tearoom Trade which provided insight on homosexuality in public places. After the book was published he felt comfortable to come out. Humphrey conducted a study to observe men engaging in same sex encounters in restrooms. The third person in the bathroom was considered as the lookout or the “watch queen” as which Humphrey posed as. The second part of his study he wrote down the license plate of the men he observed and then asked them to fill out a questionnaire. The questionnaire he stated was a social health survey. He concluded from his data that most of the men involved in these encounters were married or had acceptable lifestyles. Humphrey also concluded that majority of the men were socially

Laud Humphreys’ book “Tearoom Trade: Impersonal Sex in Public Places” was originally published in 1970. Humphreys earned his PhD from Washington University in St. Louis, although several faculty members tried to rescind it due to his research methods that were perceived to be “dishonest”. His book details the activities of homosexual men who regularly visit public restrooms (tearooms) to find quick anonymous sex. Since Laud Humphreys was a sociologist, he recognized the simplistic stereotypes that the society had on impersonal homoerotic activity. The sociologist thus noted that it would be of considerable social significance for the society to appreciate the motives and patterns of this deviant activity. His study findings unearthed

I have chosen the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender culture (LGBT), more specifically, the Gay culture as my study in intercultural communication. My person of contact is a 21-year-old homosexual male by the name of Scott Gardner. Scott identifies himself as gay but more specifically a panromantic homosexual; meaning, he is sexually attracted to men, but romantically attracted to all genders.