Takg off the ‘Masc’: How Gay-Intifyg Men Perceive and Navigate Hyper-Masculy and “Mascg” Culture Onle – LGBTQ Policy Journal

Contents:

• TAKG OFF THE ‘MASC’: HOW GAY-INTIFYG MEN PERCEIVE AND NAVIGATE HYPER-MASCULY AND “MASCG” CULTURE ONLE
• IN CHANGG AMERI, GAY MASCULY HAS 'MANY DIFFERENT SHAS'
• WHAT DO IT MEAN TO BE A GAY MAN?

TAKG OFF THE ‘MASC’: HOW GAY-INTIFYG MEN PERCEIVE AND NAVIGATE HYPER-MASCULY AND “MASCG” CULTURE ONLE

The proliferatn of gay onle spac and the opportuny they prent to experiment and explore one’s own sexual inty have ma onle platforms creasgly signifint the social, romantic, and emotnal liv of gay men. [1] For many gay men, onle spac serve as sanctuari to meet other gay men, experiment wh their personal inty nstctn, and cultivate gay muni. [3], [4] Onle platforms that provi social workg opportuni for gay men have transformed om simple foms and webs to sophistited and highly popular apps like Grdr, Scff, and Jack’d.

[5] The morn apps have been lled “hybrid media” bee they blend the offle and onle experience of ers and plite the distctn between the offle and the onle self; they provi gay men wh the possibily of turng digal sexual exploratn to physil sexual enunters. Applitns that provi men opportuni to foster relatnships that extend to the offle world have explod populary wh recent studi showg that over 75 percent of MSM (men seekg sex wh men) reported some or equent e wh datg apps and that gay men e the apps more equently than their heterosexual unterparts.

IN CHANGG AMERI, GAY MASCULY HAS 'MANY DIFFERENT SHAS'

Much of the homophobia, racism, and classism that affects gay men the physil world is crystallized and exaggerated onle. The gay men help nstct a genred hierarchy that privileg hypermascule, “straight-actg, ” young, and whe men. [14], [15] This culture of mascg margaliz many gay men and creat exclive and discrimatory spac onle.

While there has been a limed number of studi that foc on genred discrimatn wh gay spac onle, the studi have predomantly employed ntent analysis as the method of quiry. Interviews provi an opportuny to engage the gay men who are forced to navigate mascg culture firsthand and learn about their experienc and opns. This paper seeks to take advantage of this opportuny and asks the rearch qutn: How do gay men unrstand and navigate the prsure to nstct and perform a hyper mascule self onle?

Dpe gag the right to marry and beg creasgly accepted by the majory of the US public, the gay muny is stgglg to accept one another. [33] The body of existg rearch on -group discrimatn wh the gay male muny reveals the prevalence of racism, sexism, classism, and ableism amongst gay men, not only physil spac but also procs such as the electn and promotn of gay polil figureheads and onle.

WHAT DO IT MEAN TO BE A GAY MAN?

Hyper-masculy, Homophobia, and the Prevalence of Mascg Behavr. Bee ers’ actns are measurable, gay datg apps are an credibly uful place to study patterns of -group discrimatn. While there is not an abundance of rearch on patterns of discrimatn on gay datg apps, rearch that do exist reli primarily on quantative studi of ers’ behavrs based on ntent analys of their photos, “bs, ” and msagg patterns.

[37], [38] The studi have found certa norms and patterns that permeate the datg app world: the high value placed on tradnal hegemonic masculy, the stigmatizatn of femy, and the sire for tradnally “straight-actg” gay men. Have intified a pattern of behavr amongst gay men onle where men exaggerate their mascule tras and supprs their feme tras, a behavr that has been lled mascg. [41] This pattern of behavr is largely driven by a fear of beg reproached as a “sissy” or “fem” man and is fueled by persistent homophobia and misogyny which lgers the gay muny.