Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Homosexism and Masculinity

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Sexualised Governmentalities

Part of the book series: SpringerBriefs in Sociology ((BRIEFSSOCY))

  • 10 Accesses

Abstract

Homosexism has emerged as a key concept in the field of gender and sexuality studies, pushing beyond traditional discussions on homophobia to explore the intricate ways sexuality, identity, and prejudice intersect. This form of discrimination extends past the mere identity of being homosexual to the actual sexual and romantic interactions between same-sex individuals. This chapter introduces the nuances of homosexism, a subject that has only recently begun to attract scholarly attention, and examines the interplay between masculinity and sexuality, with a special focus on non-penetrative sexual behaviours among men. Unlike homophobia, homosexism is a distinct phenomenon reflecting complex power dynamics within gender hierarchies and sexual roles, often veiled by mainstream societal narratives. By tracing the origins of the term in academic discourse, homosexism is differentiated from homophobia and is positioned within the framework of critical masculinity studies. In doing so, I reveal how cultural representations of masculinity and sexual behaviours perpetuate underlying biases, particularly the marginalisation and stigmatisation of non-penetrative sexual activities among men. This raises critical questions about the societal preference for certain sexual practices.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 34.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 44.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Lears (1985) provides a very detailed and subtle analysis of the perpetuation of dominant power dynamics which might be of interest to the reader.

  2. 2.

    The term ‘side’ was coined by Kort (2013) in a Huffington Post article where he talked about non-penetrative sexual and erotic behaviours among gay men. Kort offers ‘side’ as a term that moves beyond the well-established top or bottom signifiers which perpetuate penetrative sexual activity as the sole option for gay men.

  3. 3.

    Diorio (2016) confirms that the penile-penetration imperative is a social construct and does not reflect the lived experiences of heterosexuals.

References

  • Appleby, P. R. (1999). Predictors of homosexism [Doctoral dissertation, University of Southern California]. ProQuest Dissertations and Theses Global. https://www.proquest.com/dissertations-theses/predictors-homosexism/docview/304550570/se-2.

  • Arxer, S. L. (2011). Masculine power: Reconceptualising the relationship between homosociality and hegemonic masculinity. Humanity & Society, 35, 390–422.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Blumstein, P., & Schwartz, P. (1983). American couples. William Morrow and Company.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bollas, A. (2021). Masculinities on the side: An exploration of the function of homosexism in maintaining hegemonic masculinities and sexualities. Sexuality & Culture, 25(5), 1761–1770.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bollas, A. (2023). Men, sides, and homosexism: A small-scale empirical study of the lived experiences of men who identify as sides. Journal of Homosexuality. https://doi.org/10.1080/00918369.2023.2208250

  • Borkens, Y., & Exner, A. (2023). Language problems with phobia terms and LGBTQIA+ prejudices using the example of homophobia. Environment and Social Psychology, 8(2). https://doi.org/10.54517/esp.v8i2.1645

  • Bourdieu, P. (2001). Masculine domination. Stanford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Boy Erased. (2018). Focus features.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chitty, C. (2020). Sexual hegemony: Stagecraft, sodomy, and capital in the rise of the world system. Duke University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Chowdhury, S. G., LaPoe, V., & Davis, C. (2019). Toxic & hegemonic masculinity, gender stereotypes & resonance: The problematic snickers “Get some nuts” ad campaign. Communication, Society, and Media, 2(3), 118–135.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Collier, R. (1998). Masculinities, crime, and criminology: Men, heterosexuality, and the criminal(ised) other. Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Connell, R. W. (1987). Gender and power: Society, the person and sexual politics. University of California Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cruz, J. M. (2000). Gay male domestic violence and the pursuit of masculinity. In P. M. Nardi (Ed.), Gay masculinities (pp. 66–92). Sage.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Cucumber. (2015). Channel 4.

    Google Scholar 

  • Czirr, R. P. (1985). Repressiveness toward homosexual people in an adult sample: Sexual conservatism, religious variables, and dimensions of homosexism [Doctoral dissertation, Peabody College for Teachers of Vanderbilt University]. Vanderbilt University. https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=7425139

  • D’Augelli, A. R., & Hart, M. M. (1987). Gay women, men, and families in rural settings: Toward the development of helping communities. American Journal of Community Psychology, 15(1), 79–93.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Davis, L. M. (1992). Homophobia/homosexism and gender role rigidity: a study in the social construction and control of masculinity [Doctoral dissertation, Concordia University]. Spectrum Research Repository. https://spectrum.library.concordia.ca/id/eprint/3420/

  • Dean, T. (2009). Unlimited intimacy: Reflections on the subculture of barebacking. University of Chicago Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Demetriou, D. Z. (2001). Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity: A critique. Theory and Society, 30(3), 337–361.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Diorio, J. A. (2016). Changing discourse, learning sex, and non-coital heterosexuality. Sexuality & Culture, 20(4), 841–861.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Donaldson, M. (1993). What is hegemonic masculinity? Theory and Society, 22, 643–657.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Downing, M. J., Jr., Schrimshaw, E. W., Antebi, N., & Siegel, K. (2014). Sexually explicit media on the Internet: A content analysis of sexual behaviors, risk, and media characteristics in gay male adult videos. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 43(4), 811–821. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-013-0121-1

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duggan, L. (2003). The twilight of equality?: Neoliberalism, cultural politics, and the attack on democracy. Beacon Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dyer, R. (Ed.). (1997). Gays and film. British Film Institute.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fish, J. (2006). Heterosexism in health and social care. Palgrave Macmillan.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Florêncio, J. (2020). Bareback porn, porous masculinities, queer futures: The ethics of becoming-pig. Routledge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Goldner, V. (1991). Toward a critical relational theory of gender. Psychoanalytic Dialogues, 1(3), 249–272.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Grzanka, P. R. (2019). Queer theory. In P. Atkinson, S. Delamont, R. A. Williams, A. Cernat, & J. W. Sakshaug (Eds.), Sage research methods foundations. Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Guo, L., Fang, S., & Wen, H. (2023). Purely positive or discriminatorily positive? The development of two-factor attitudes toward lesbians and gay men scales. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 1211282. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1211282

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Halkitis, P. N. (2000). Masculinity in the age of AIDS: HIV-seropositive gay men and the “buff agenda”. In P. M. Nardi (Ed.), Gay masculinities (pp. 130–151). Sage.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen, G. L. (1982a). Androgyny, sex-role orientation, and homosexism. The Journal of Psychology, 112(1), 39–45.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hansen, G. L. (1982b). Measuring prejudice against homosexuality (homosexism) among college students: A new scale. The Journal of Social Psychology, 117(2), 233–236.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harris, D. (1997). The rise and fall of gay culture. Hyperion.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hellman, R. E. (2019). The way of the world: How heterosexism shapes and distorts male same-sexuality, a thesis. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health, 23(3), 349–359.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hellman, R. E. (2021). Male homosexism: A concept in search of acceptance. Sexuality & Culture, 25(1), 337–346.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Herek, G. M. (1995). Psychological heterosexism in the United States. In A. R. D’Augelli & C. J. Patterson (Eds.), Lesbian, gay, and bisexual identities over a lifespan: Psychological perspectives (pp. 321–346). Oxford University Press.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Joseph, M. (2002). Against the romance of community. University of Minnesota Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kagan, D. (2018). Positive images: Gay men and HIV/AIDS in the culture of “post-crisis”. I. B. Tauris.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Kimmel, M. (1994). Masculinity as homophobia. In H. Brod & M. Kaufman (Eds.), Theorising masculinities (pp. 119–141). Sage.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Kimmel, M. (1996). Manhood in America: A cultural history. Free Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kort, J. (2013, April 16). Guys on the ‘side’: Looking beyond gay tops and bottoms. Huffpost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/guys-on-the-side-looking-beyond-gay-tops-and-bottoms_b_3082484

  • Laurie, T. (2015). Masculinity studies and the jargon of strategy: Hegemony, tautology, sense. Angelaki, 20(1), 13–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lears, J. T. J. (1985). The concept of cultural hegemony: Problems and possibilities. The American Historical Review, 90(2), 567–593. https://www.jstor.org/stable/1860957

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lehne, G. K. (1976). Homophobia among men. In D. S. David & R. Brannon (Eds.), The forty-nine percent majority: The male sex role (pp. 66–88). Addison-Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Levine, N. (2019, May 23). It’s time to stop pigeonholing gay men as tops and bottoms. GQ. https://www.gq.com/story/its-time-to-stop-pigeonholing-ourselves-as-tops-and-bottoms

  • Linneman, T. J. (2000). Risk and masculinity in the everyday lives of gay men. In P. M. Nardi (Ed.), Gay masculinities (pp. 83–100). Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Messerschmidt, J. W. (2018). Hegemonic masculinity: Formation, reformulation, and amplification. Rowman and Littlefield.

    Google Scholar 

  • Messerschmidt, J. W. (2019). The salience of “hegemonic masculinity”. Men and Masculinities, 22(1), 85–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Messner, M. A. (1997). Politics of masculinities: Men in movements. Sage.

    Google Scholar 

  • Moore, M. (2014, February 19). On bottom-shaming: Is a bottom less of a man?. Thought Catalog. https://thoughtcatalog.com/madison-moore/2014/02/on-bottom-shaming-is-a-bottom-less-of-a-man/.

  • Morgan, D., & Wilkinson, I. (2001). The problem of suffering and the sociological task of theodicy. European Journal of Social Theory., 4(2), 199–214. https://doi.org/10.1177/13684310122225073

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Morris, E. W., & Ratajczak, K. (2019). Critical masculinity studies and research on violence against women: An assessment of past scholarship and future directions. Violence Against Women, 25(16), 1980–2006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nardi, P. M. (2000). “Anything for a sis, Mary”: An introduction to gay masculinities. In P. M. Nardi (Ed.), Gay masculinities (pp. 1–11). Sage.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Rocketman. (2019). Paramount pictures.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rohrer, M. (2013, February 5). Coming out as a ‘side’... guilt-free. Huffpost. https://www.huffpost.com/entry/coming-out-as-a-side-guilt-free_b_3192179

  • Scher, M., & Stevens, M. (2011). Men and violence. Journal of Counseling & Development, 65(7), 338–390.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schulte, L. J. (1994). A test of two models of homosexism [Doctoral dissertation, State University of New York at Albany]. State University of New York. https://elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=5721071

  • Speice, T. D. (2016). Manning up and queering out: Gay men’s negotiations of gender and sexuality. [Doctoral thesis: University of Cincinnati]. OhioLink. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=ucin1468337419

  • Sullivan, N. (2003). A critical introduction to queer theory. New York University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • The Politician. (2019). Netflix.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tran, A., Kaplan, J. A., Austin, S. B., Davison, K., Lopez, G., & Agénor, M. (2020). “It’s all outward appearance-based attractions”: A qualitative study of body image among a sample of young gay and bisexual men. Journal of Gay & Lesbian Mental Health, 24(3), 281–307. https://doi.org/10.1080/19359705.2019.1706683

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Varghese, R., & Dean, T. (2019). Raw: PrEP, pedagogy, and the politics of barebacking. University of Regina Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Ward, J. (2000). Queer sexism: Rethinking gay men and masculinity. In P. M. Nardi (Ed.), Gay masculinities (pp. 152–175). Sage.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Watson, R. J., Snapp, S., & Wang, S. (2017). What we know and where we go from here: A review of lesbian, gay, and bisexual youth hookup literature. Sex Roles, 77, 801–811. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11199-017-0831-2

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Whitehead, S. (2002). Men and masculinities: Key themes and new directions. Polity.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wickberg, D. (2000). Homophobia: On the cultural history of an idea. Critical Inquiry, 27(1), 42–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Communications, Dublin City University, Dublin, Ireland

    Angelos Bollas

Authors
  1. Angelos Bollas
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2024 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Bollas, A. (2024). Homosexism and Masculinity. In: Sexualised Governmentalities. SpringerBriefs in Sociology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-57009-4_1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-57009-4_1

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-031-57008-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-031-57009-4

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation