OTT but very interesting article about homophobia and feminism.
What About the Guys Who Do Fit the 'Gay Stereotype'?Sociologists have long noted that homophobia is a fundamental ingredient of masculinity in modern American culture. In his seminal 1994 article "Masculinity as Homophobia," sociologist Michael Kimmel, author of Guyland: The Perilous World Where Boys Become Men,
argued that "homophobia is a central organizing principle of our
cultural definition of manhood." Since homosexuality is associated with
femininity, feminizing and anti-gay comments are the primary mechanism
for enforcing the boundaries of masculinity. If a guy steps ever so
slightly outside of gender norms, his peers will bring him back into
line by calling his heterosexuality into question (which implicitly
challenges his gender). The pressure to prove and re-prove
hetereosexuality is part of what it means to "be a man"—and it pushes
men to embrace both homophobia and hypermasculinity.
more...
www.theatlantic.com/sexes/archive/2013/05/what-about-the-guys-who-do-fit-the-gay-stereotype/276407/
