Living like a hetero: Southern homonormativity in Istanbul

Abstract

Research on homonormativity in the Global North has burgeoned in the last 20 years as there have been developments to include sexual minorities as equal members of society. However, little is known about the emergent forms of homonormativity in the Global South where in most cases the improvements in terms of sexual rights and citizenship in the Global North did not echo. Despite the lack of the legal, economic, and cultural infrastructure, an inchoate Southern homonormativity unfolds among gay men through their gender performances, bodily presentations, class positions, and neoliberal aspirations. Southern homonormativity is a cultural formation that takes place in settings where there is no institutional change and legal reforms to define, recognize, and embrace the gay citizens (and families) as equal, legitimate, and respected members of society. By using interviews and ethnographic home visits in Istanbul, Turkey, this article explores how homonormativity is contextually driven and flexible, and how privileged gay men understand and navigate homonormative precepts in a context within the Global South.