Google, Tell Me. IsHeGay? Masculinity, Heterosexuality, and Gendered Anxieties in Google Search Queries about Sexuality

Abstract

It is difficult to gauge people’s acceptance about same-sex sexualities, as responses to questionnaires are prone to social desirability bias. We offer a new proxy for understanding popular concern surrounding same-sex sexualities: prevalence of Google searches demonstrating concern over gay/lesbian sexual identities. Using Google Trends data, we find that Google searches about whether a specific person is gay or lesbian show patterned bias toward masculine searches, in that such searches are much more frequently conducted about boys and men compared with girls and women. We put these findings into context by comparing search frequencies with other popular Google searches about sexuality and otherwise. We put forth that the patterned bias toward masculine searches illustrates support for the enduring relationship between masculinity and heterosexuality and that it does so on a larger scale than previous research has been able to establish.

“The queers hate me because I’m too butch”: Goldilocks masculinity among non-heterosexual men

“…Connell and Messerschmidt (2005) contend that hegemonic masculinity legitimizes men’s dominant position in society not only by subordinating women, but also by subordinating marginalized masculinities, such as those that are not heterosexual. Thus, homophobia and distinction from gay men have been identified as core factors in the production of hegemonic masculinity (Carrigan et al, 1985; Connell, 1987, 2005; Diefendorf and Bridges, 2020; Mishel et al, 2021).…”

Digital Traces of Sexualities: Understanding the Salience of Sexual Identity through Disclosure on Social Media

“…The cultural meanings of heterosexuality also vary by gender, and this shapes the meaning of disclosure for heterosexual men and heterosexual women. For men, avoiding being perceived as gay forms a crucial part of heterosexual masculinity (Mishel, Bridges, and Caudillo forthcoming;Pascoe 2011;Ward 2015). Although homophobia is no longer central to all expressions of heterosexual masculinities (Dean 2014), men continue to experience pressure from peers to perform compulsory heterosexuality (Duckworth and Trautner 2019).…”