Navigating norms of masculinity: Tactical gender performances among gay men in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

Abstract

In Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, heteronormative presumptions relating to masculinity dictate that men should be engaged in or actively pursuing heterosexual relationships. For many gay men, fears of social rejection, stigma, and legal repercussion combine to prevent them from being open about their sexuality. This article examines social and legal pressures experienced by gay men in Dar es Salaam and the ways they navigate their daily lives to avoid detection and act in instances where they fail to adhere to ascribed norms of masculinity. Our arguments draw on one year of ethnographic research among gay men aged 18 years and above in Dar es Salaam in 2017. Our findings show that gay men are under constant pressure to meet expectations such as having female sexual partners, getting married, and having children, as well as to conform with masculine body styling norms. In trying to navigate between masculine expectations of society and the desire to live freely as men who desire other men, they resort to a range of temporal, spatial and bodily tactics to conceal homosexual practices and identities from family and neighbors. These techniques include socializing, dating, and sometimes marrying women in response to family and societal pressure. They also dress in prescribed ways to conform to heteronormative standards, carefully attending to space and time to identify safe places for being gay, and utilizing mobile phones and social media to build communities of support.