“I don’t want to be seen as a screaming queen”: An interpretative phenomenological analysis of gay men’s masculine identities.

Abstract

It has been argued that gay men who live in Western societies must negotiate masculine identities against a cultural backdrop where the most desirable and locally hegemonic masculinity is heterosexual. However, contemporary masculinity theories conceptualize masculinities as increasingly inclusive of gay men. The purpose of this study was to use a discourse-dynamic approach to studying masculine subjectivity to identify how gay men in England and Wales negotiated masculinity discourses to construct their masculine identities. One-to-one, semistructured interviews were undertaken with 6 younger gay men aged 20 -24 years and 11 older gay men aged 30 -42 years. Participants were asked to describe their subjective experiences of masculinity. The results of an interpretative phenomenological analysis indicated that discourses of hegemonic and alternative masculinities had implications for lived experiences of masculinity. Older participants in particular emphasized the attributes they associated with masculine dominance, including anti-effeminacy attitudes. The majority of younger participants did not feel masculine. Irrespective of age, many participants resisted hegemonic masculinity by highlighting the value of "gayness" at times. The findings suggested that hegemonic masculinity was the most readily available discourse for conceptualizing masculinity but that lived experiences of masculinity were not necessarily located within this discourse.

Same-sex relationships of men with autism spectrum disorder in middle adulthood: An interpretative phenomenological study.

“…However, researchers also strive to retain the individuality of each participant by attending to differences in the ways in which the themes are expressed (Smith & Shinebourne, 2012). IPA has been used in previous studies with sexual minority individuals (Chan & Farmer, 2017; Farmer & Byrd, 2015; Ingham, Eccles, Armitage, & Murray, 2017; Ravenhill & de Visser, 2019) as well as those with ASD (Huws & Jones, 2008).…”

“If You Do Not Fit in With the Stereotype, They Eat You Alive”: Discourses of Masculinities and Their Reflections in Young Spanish Men’s Health

“…It shows attributes that are related to the hegemonic discourse (e.g., selfcensorship such as keeping distance or hugging over the shoulder when photographed with other men, or depicting a role of a protective man by the way they are positioned when photographed with their girlfriends), but they do not embody it by strictly following the established standards, as they also embody attributes of the counter-hegemonic discourse (e.g., expressing and showing affections towards girlfriends). Coinciding with the recent study conducted by Ravenhill and de Visser (2019) on gay masculinities, we acknowledge that the conceptions of masculinity are rooted in hegemonic masculinity for straight, gay, and bisexual men. However, it is mainly in young homosexuals and bisexuals that we find counterhegemonic discourses and representations (such as the "variant of sincere affections"), giving rise to transgressive configuration of masculinities.…”

“…The "fag discourse" is understood as the "fag" position which displays a "threatening specter" that not only affects homosexual men but could be understood as a fluid identity which men continuously struggle to avoid. This involves not only the subordination of homosexual and bisexual masculinities, but also a gender vigilance in young men regardless of their sexual orientation (Ravenhill & de 2019). These hybrid masculinities still do not represent a significant change in gender inequality, but continue to support them in subtle ways, which are difficult to identify and examine (Bridges & Pascoe, 2014).…”

Exploring the Experiences of Gay Men with Regards to Eating, Exercise, and Mindfulness-Based Concepts

“…This drive to be muscular can be attributed to experiencing alienation as a child for being too feminine and therefore is an attempt to avoid similar rejection in adulthood; thus impacting negatively upon eating behaviors and self-compassion (Sánchez & Vilain, 2012). Research conducted by Ravenhill and de Visser (2018) investigated the identity perceptions of three younger participants ages 20-24 and three older participants ages 30-42 in relation to their masculinity. The older participants stated that they were more affected by the discourse of hegemonic masculinity, that they would try to emphasize their masculine attributes and to distain effeminacy in non-gay spaces (Ravenhill & de Visser, 2018).…”

“…Research conducted by Ravenhill and de Visser (2018) investigated the identity perceptions of three younger participants ages 20-24 and three older participants ages 30-42 in relation to their masculinity. The older participants stated that they were more affected by the discourse of hegemonic masculinity, that they would try to emphasize their masculine attributes and to distain effeminacy in non-gay spaces (Ravenhill & de Visser, 2018). Lack of acceptance of homosexuality in previous generations meant a suppression of culture, where older populations may be less influenced by current body ideals and therefore it may have less influence on their eating behaviors and exercise engagement.…”