The Inherance, a Play Hnted by Outdated Gay Archetyp

AN ILLTRATED GUI TO REGNIZG YOUR GAY STEREOTYP

The gay world is often reprented as some sort of monolhic whole that has the same culture. That is a lie. It is actually broken down to a handful of substrata to which each gay belongs. Here they are. * gay archetypes *

In the spir of batg stereotyp by reclaimg and celebratg them, BBDO NY Art Director Jam Kuczynski and illtrator Pl Tuller have created a “Gui to Gay Stereotyp, ” a seri of silk screened imag pturg the sence of your neighborhood gay posters, released this week as we head to Pri season, celebrate the recent Supreme Court cisn on DOMA. The posters are available for $18 each, and some of the proceeds will go to the “Thk B4 You Speak” mpaign, which supports LGBT teens and rais awarens about homophobia and the e of terms like “That’s so gay, ” “Dyke” and “Faggot.

In a 2001 survey of “Canadian Perceptns of Homosexualy, ”[i] people across the untry were asked, “In your opn, are homosexuals the same as everyone else?

15 STEREOTYP THAT LIM OUR PERCEPTNS OF GAY MEN

* gay archetypes *

” The notn that homosexuals are the same as everyone else (save for the unimportant ltle fact of who we love) was first advanced by queers search of tolerance.

A HANDY GUI TO ALL GAY MEN

[v] There is a vast and dangero divi between the notn that queer people are the same as everyone else, and acceptance of the social and cultural difference that is homosexualy. Genr is one space of great unease for ntemporary society, which we are nonted wh the homophobic stereotyp of the big, butch, man-hatg lbian and the swishy, effemate gay man.

If we keep our rponse to homophobic stereotyp at the level of stereotypil rpons, we valorize genr nformy and “straight-lookg, straight-actg” gays and lbians. But if we reach through the homophobic stereotyp to embrace the submerged archetyp, we will fd godss who pot to women’s pacy for anger and vengeance, like Msa (Ancient Greece), Sedna (Inu), and Camunda (India). A host of homophobic stereotyp fall unr this bric – that we are unstable and immature, that we have dysfunctnal, impermanent relatnships, that we unrme the fay.

[x] We n see homosexuals as the nocent victims of unjt stereotypg, and simultaneoly follow the stereotyp as maps that lead to buried treasure – the cultural meangs and social power of homosexualy.

WHAT IS AN OTTER IN GAY CULTURE

In 1894 Edward Carpenter wr, “[It] is possible that the Uranian [(homosexual)] spir may lead to somethg like a general enthiasm of Humany, and that the Uranian people may be sted to form the advance guard of that great movement which will one day transform the mon life by substutg the bond of personal affectn and passn for the moary, legal and other external ti which now ntrol and nfe society.

”[xiii] The Gay Liberatn Front, found New York followg the Stonewall uprisg of 1969, tied gay liberatn to peace, racial equaly, and a generalized crique of palist society.

The radil current gay activism seems to persist brilliant but short-lived bursts that are quickly subsumed by a stronger current propellg to seek acmodatn wh the domant culture. Gary Ksman not that homosexualy is anized relatnship to all other forms of opprsn and domance, so that class, race and police opprsn are maniftly queer issu. See also Natnal Gay and Lbian Task Force Policy Instute Anti-Gay/Lbian Vlence, Victimizatn and Defamatn at and a Canadian study by the 519 Communy Centre Toronto for the Department of Jtice lookg at the issue of vlence the LGBT muny.

LORD OF THE RG TAPS A GAY ARCHETYPE

Supreme Court cisn endorsg the right of gay and lbian upl to marry says that “refg marriage would amount to a massive human experiment” and adm a terrifyg disorr to social relatnships. Ally: A person who supports and rpects sexual diversy, acts acrdgly to challenge homophobic and heterosexist remarks and behavrs, and is willg to explore and unrstand the forms of bias wh themselv. An umbrella term that refers to members of a subculture the gay and bisexual male muni and is often fed as more of an attu or sense of fort wh natural masculy and bodi.

Bicur: An dividual who typilly intifi as gay or straight while showg some cursy for a relatnship or sexual activy wh a person of the genr they do not favor. The term n also exclively refer to men who are emotnally, romantilly, sexually, affectnately, or relatnally attracted to other men, or who intify as members of the gay muny. Bee most LGBTQ people are raised the same society as heterosexuals, they learn the same beliefs and stereotyp prevalent the domant society, leadg to a phenomenon known as ternalized homophobia, whereas LGBTQ-intified dividuals feel shame, guilt or hatred towards the part of themselv intified as LGBTQ.

Internalized Homophobia: The fear and self-hate of one’s own homosexualy or bisexualy dividuals who have learned negative ias about homosexualy throughout childhood. Leather culture is most visible gay muni and most often associated wh gay men (“leathermen”), but is also reflected var ways the gay, lbian, bisexual, and heterosexual worlds. Queer: Term scribg people who have a non-normative genr inty, sexual orientatn or sexual anatomy—clus lbians, gay men, bisexual people, and transgenr people and alli.