Abstract
This chapter analyzes how the ubiquitous and insidious nature of white supremacist heteropatriarchy is present in dating apps. While previous studies have examined various aspects of discrimination in online dating, both straight and queer, this study is uniqe in that it theorizes these facets of discrimination in relation to the theory of homonationalism. Homonationalism is a combination of homonormativity and nationalism as theorized by Jasbir K. Puar in Terrorist Assemblages: Homonationalism in Queer Times (2007). Using this theoretical framework allows us to see how homonationalism contributes to ostracization. This marginalization affects various people in the gay community who do not fit the unrealistic expectation of the ideal citizen. This research draws on the online experiences of men in the gay community who use dating apps such as Grindr, Scruff, and Jack’d. Qualitative interviews were conducted with open-ended questions designed to explore their interaction with dating apps, the types of discrimination they face, and their places of healing both on and offline. Interviews reveal and describe the presence of racism, femmephobia, fat-phobia, HIV stigma, and transphobia in these online communities. These narratives of online experiences demonstrate the importance of recognizing and deconstructing discrimination within the gay men’s community along with critically analyzing restrictions of desire.
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