The Discursive Strategies Used by Young Homosexual Males in the Construction of Their Identity

Abstract

This study focuses on the construction of identity of four young Malay homosexual men in Malaysia. Through the narrative discourse of their life experiences and aspirations, this study explores these participants’ discursive strategies in the formation, negotiation, and establishment of their identities. The narrative data were gathered through a semi-structured interview-cum-conversation which allowed the participants to express sentiments about their lives in a heterosexual dominated society. Using an adapted framework of discourse-historical approach of Critical Discourse Analysis proposed by Reisigl and Wodak (2009), this study analysed the participants’ discursive strategies in representing themselves and others; and disclose their positions in the dominant sexual ideology. This study has revealed that there are some similarities and homogeneity of the discursive strategies used by these participants in the construction of their identities. None of the participants rejected the mainstream sexual ideology. In fact, there were some indications in their narratives that revealed their internal struggle between their desire to stay homosexual and their obligation to assimilate the dominant sexual ideology.