Welcoming the World? Hospitality, Homonationalism, and the London 2012 Olympics

Abstract

In an era of intense "entrepreneurial" city marketing, overt attempts to court LGBT consumers and investors have been made not solely through the promotion of lesbian and gay arts festivals, pride celebrations and "specialised" cultural events, but also through "mainstream" mega-events. This paper explores this with reference to London's 2012 Olympics, an event which welcomed LGBT spectators, volunteers and participants through a series of initiatives proclaiming the Games as distinctively "gay friendly". Considering this in the light of queer critiques-particularly those concerning homonationalismwe argue that this marketing of London as sexually diverse relied on the effacement of certain sexual practices and spaces not easily accommodated within normative, Western models of sexual citizenship, tolerance and equality. In conclusion, it is argued that the Olympics represented a moment when particular ideas of sexual cosmopolitanism were deployed to regulate, order and normalise the variegated sexual landscapes of a world city.

Economies of (Alleged) Deviance: Sex Work and the Sport Mega-Event

“…2). These activities were not dissimilar to the punitive processes evident in Vancouver 2010, where those involved in sex work reported a heightened amount of police harassment without arrest and increased difficulty in meeting clientele (Deering et al, 2013), as well as those in London 2012, where increased surveillance of sex work on the pretext of identifying trafficked women and children resulted in the closure of several businesses and erosion of sex worker allies and support agencies (Hubbard & Wilkinson, 2015).…”

“…We are also critical of the state-sanctioned violence directed at those involved in adult, consensual sexual/ erotic labour that is framed as either crime reduction or humanitarian aid (Matheson & Finkel, 2013;Hubbard & Wilkinson, 2015). The moral entrepreneurialism pursued by religious-affiliated agencies based in the Global North, padded by the more localized effort of law enforcement authorities in the Global South, rather than stimulate democratic debate with those targeted in action, rationalize the imposition of certain neocolonial-capitalist fantasies.…”

“…The same is true for sexual commerce. Not all sex (work) is deemed incompatible with the vision of host cities as safe, civilized, sanitized, and tolerant (Hubbard & Wilkinson, 2015): Some profit from the event and provide valuable leisure opportunities and hospitality rarely acknowledged by any host. As we have suggested, such creative potential will demand constant negotiation with law and order authorities to accommodate the new geographies of repressedinclusion that accompany the international event.…”

“…Judd & Simpson, 2003;Paton et al, 2012;Silk, 2007Silk, , 2011Silk & Amis, 2005;Smith & Fox, 2007;Whitson & Macintosh, 1996). Sexualized and racialized minorities (those discursively constructed as marginal due to their sexual orientation and/or sexualized labour) are especially targeted in these revanchist urban processes (Hubbard & Wilkinson, 2015;Matheson & Finkel, 2013). Of interest to this article is the discursive and material construction of those involved in sexual commerce as either Bdeviant^or Bvictim^in the humanitarian crusade known to follow the hypermasculine sport spectacle (see Fig.…”

Homonationalist/Orientalist Negotiations: The UK Approach to Queer Asylum Claims

“…Authors have analysed the ways in which different European nations have come to represent themselves as a 'sexual democracy' (Fassin 2010, 513) in ways that justify harsher anti-immigration policies. They have claimed to be secular, progressive and modern by asserting their tolerance and advanced political agenda on gender equality and sexual rights, in direct opposition to migrant communities, especially Muslims, often portrayed as backwards, traditional, and homophobic (Butler 2008;Fassin 2010;Haritaworn et al 2008;Hubbard and Wilkinson 2014;Mepschen and Duyvendak 2012). In regards to the British context, Haritaworn et al (2008) note that especially after 9/11, gay and lesbian mainstream media and activists have actively participated in an 'Islamophobic' project, by reproducing an imaginary of 'Muslim homophobia' in contrast to (and threatening) 'British gay liberation'.…”