“Black Pole” and “Asian Hole”: Language Ideologies in Interracial Gay Porn

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article examines the ideological interconnection encapsulated in the “language-race-masculinity” bundle in Asian-themed interracial gay porn produced in the United States. Reflecting on the conceptualization of “accented pornography,” I propose to incorporate the theoretical constructs of interactional sociolinguistics and language ideology to expand the analytical scope and enrich the theoretical lens adopted in gay porn studies. Through analyzing the linguistic feature of English accents and language-centered practices of styling, labeling, and erasing in four selected gay porn scenes, I demonstrate how racial and masculine identities intersect and mutually constitute each other in dynamic ways. In addition, I highlight the iconic linkage between language and race that has been long neglected in gay porn studies and argue that the discursive and institutional practices of gay porn-making are dictated by the dominant ideology of White supremacy that relegates both Asian and African American communities to hierarchically lower positions in the U.S. society.