Homosexual Subjects Research Articles

“À chacun son Tokyo.”1: Marguerite Yourcenar’s Reading of Yukio Mishima as a Revolutionary Exemplar for Western Literary Art

Marguerite Yourcenar may well be best known for her prize-winning novels that accent the trope of homosexuality, but there is another, equally engaging aspect to her work that highlights her originality: her deeply syncretic cultural perspective. Regarding her strong interest in Japanese culture, she was intrigued by the polemical and ostentatious Japanese writer, Yukio Mishima, and her 1980 text, Mishima ou la vision du vide, stands as an important milestone in the longstanding dialogue of East-West cultural relations. Mishima fascinated Yourcenar, above and beyond his interest in homosexual themes, and she identified in him a uniquely powerful exemplar of rebellion. After forming his own militia, barricading himself in the Tokyo headquarters of Japan’s Self-Defense Forces, holding the commandant hostage, and committing suicide publicly on a balcony of the building through the ritual act of seppuku, Mishima became for Yourcenar a figure of almost hagiographic dimensions. Describing him dramatically as “le martyr […] du Japon héroïque,” Yourcenar presents Mishima as a figure whose art serves as inspiration both for Eastern and Western writers, while she explores his violent ideology, portraying his work as a compelling and paradoxical example of the potential of aesthetics to alter directly human culture.

Vidas indestrutíveis: micropolíticas da pobreza na vida homossexual

Por meio das composições teóricas estabelecidas por Foucault sobre poder, tecnologia de poder e discurso, Guattari, Deleuze e Rolnik formularam uma nova perspectiva de articulação teórica ao perceberem que, em meio às relações privadas existem micropolíticas que se corporificam como forças normalizadoras dos comportamentos e desejos humanos. Embasada nesses pressupostos, esta pesquisa articulou os temas de pobreza e homossexualidade, buscando pensar como as vidas homossexuais são negadas e inseridas nas condições precárias fomentadas pelos discursos que condicionam a homossexualidade. A metodologia nesta produção se diversifica entre uma revisão bibliográfica conceitual e uma análise de cenas de vidas homossexuais que encadeiam juntas uma produção onde se verifica as ações de assujeitamento sobre essas vidas e suas resistências/reações. Foram selecionados três depoimentos, encontrados em fragmentos de falas de uma entrevista concedida por Pablo Vittar ao canal Trip Tv, e mais duas encontradas em narrativas de uma outra produção feita pelo autor no ano de 2013. A ideia de Vidas Indestrutíveis busca mostrar como se engendram micropolíticas que conduzem os sujeitos homossexuais a condições de precarização, e como essa, enquanto campo minado de sujeição de seus corpos, produz resistências e linhas de fuga para que sobrevivam em meio as conduções normativas de suas vidas.

Vestígios do silêncio

Neste teatro textual, refletimos sobre o silêncio em três atos: 1. consideramos a significância do silêncio, a partir de Orlandi e em cotejo com outros autores; 2. analisamos o editorial do Lampião da esquina, com o objetivo de compreender como o si dos sujeitos homossexuais é falado em relação ao gueto e como esse dizer constitui resistência à censura moral imposta pela língua-de-espuma da ditadura militar; 3. evocamos asignificância do vestígio (trace) em Ricoeur e da ausculta em Heidegger, para especular sobre a escuta analítica em relação à temporalidade do silêncio. Para nós, o silêncio pode ser interpretado como a terceira margem do Rio Lethe (Ideologia), em relação à base material da língua (primeira margem), em que se dão os processos discursivos (segunda margem).

Selfish Mysticism, Queer Utopias: 'Homo-ness' in Carlos Hugo Christensen's O menino e o vento

This article considers Carlos Hugo Christensen's film O menino e o vento (1968) through the work of queer theorist Leo Bersani. It argues that Christensen’s depiction of same-sex desire makes a fundamental challenge to social organization by reconfiguring the basic unit of interpersonal relations (self and other). Against the well-disciplined homosexual subject, the film presents homosexuality as an impersonal, quasi-mystical, homoerotic force that breaks down and transcends the barriers between individuals, shattering all efforts to name and so to control it. This article addresses specifically the question of queer utopias, sketching out what one might look like in Lusophone cinema. It contributes to the current scholarship on Christensen while examining how ideas about homosexuality are formulated in Lusophone cultures more generally, and how they might be politically useful.

Self-Imposed Exile, Marginality, and Homosexuality in the Novels of Abdellah Taïa, Rachid O., and Eyet-Chékib Djaziri

ABSTRACT A burgeoning canon of Maghrebian writers in self-imposed exiled in France has in the last decade begun to openly broach the subject of homosexuality in Arab-Muslim communities of the Maghreb. Novels of writers like Abdellah Taïa, Rachid O. and Eyet-Chékib Djaziri reflect a fascinating trans-Mediterranean construction of homosexual identity. Drawing on Svetlana Boym’s critical work, particularly her observation that nostalgia “charts an affective geography of the native land that often mirrors the melancholic landscapes” of the exiled, this paper analyzes the construction of homosexuality against the notions of exile, nostalgia, and marginality. The novels of these Maghrebian writers highlight nostalgia as both cathartic and paralyzing for “gay” migrant protagonists who find themselves trapped in the subtle seam between a cherished Maghreb that is framed as homophobic in the sexual clash of civilizations and a more liberal yet inauspicious France. The nostalgic contemplation of the constitution of a homosexual subjectivity is read as a critical performance and mainstreaming of hitherto marginalized voices that now subvert and fight back against normalizing discourses of ethnicity, sexual and gender identity as well as nationality.

Masculinities at War: The South African Border War and the Textual Representation of the “Moffie”

SummaryThis article takes as its point of departure the discursive representation of the moffie (or “faggot”) in border literature (or grensliteratuur) that was produced after the fall of apartheid in South Africa. By investigating the textual representation of sexuality and gender during South Africa’s Border War, this article shows how autobiographical and non-fiction texts that are produced by former army conscripts still conform to ideals surrounding white, cisgender heterosexuality. Understanding war as a physical and discursive practice, this article is interested in how, in a contemporary South African context, the phenomenon of the Border War is drawn upon in certain literary works as a means to reconcile the author with a changing political system. However, as this article demonstrates, this process of textual retribution is still skewed towards sexual and gendered biases and, as a result, a narrative emerges in these works that centres on the experiences of the white, cisgender, heterosexual man, with his sexual and gendered “other”, the moffie, presented as menacing, treacherous and disgraceful. In this manner, works of non-fiction that were produced after the fall of apartheid and that offers a retrospective viewpoint on the Border War are often marked by the violent inscription of homosexual and transgender subjects as both inferior and weak, as well as deceitful and dangerous.

Die Gleichstellung homosexueller Beziehungen

The extensive case-law of the European Court of Human Rights clearly shows that equality in today’s Europe also includes the elimination of discrimination based on sexual orientation. This article sheds light on the development of this case-law and the resulting gradual change in the legal situation in Austria. This ranged from the abolition of the criminal liability for homosexual relationships as “unnatural” to the beginnings of registered partnerships and adoption to “marriage for all”. This development was triggered by the long-standing tabooing of the subject of homosexuality in public, the legislator’s default and the associated disadvantages for those affected. This had caused an increase in individual complaints before the courts. It was precisely for the equality of homosexual relationships that the ECHR proved to be an engine of legal development and a gradual opening of society.

Secularist understandings of Pentecostal healing practices in Amsterdam: Developing an intersectional and post-secularist sociology of religion

The past decades have seen an intensification of debate around migrants, gender and sexuality. For the Netherlands, several authors have pointed out how this has given rise to a form of sexual nationalism whereby the idea of being a modern, progressive country is strongly linked to a program of liberal sexual values and offset against a presumably ‘backward’ migrant who is ‘still’ religious and traditional. In this article, the author analyses how these dynamics played out in the controversy around HIV-healings or homo healings supposedly taking place in Pentecostal churches in Amsterdam. Media attention highlighted the theme of homosexuality while forgetting the interests of women. This article shows that the sexual nationalism scheme was also operative here, and proposes further developing existing approaches as intersectional ‘post-secularist’ sociological perspectives aimed at unearthing the ways narratives of modernity, secularization and sexual nationalism structure attitudes towards migrant and religious actors both in social scientific research agendas and among societal actors.

The Geography of Research on LGBTQ Life: Why sociologists should study the South, rural queers, and ordinary cities

AbstractOver the past 20 years, sociological research on LGBTQ people and communities has disproportionately studied coastal regions and big cities in the United States. Scholars pay the most attention to queer urban life in “great cities” like New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicago and understudy lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) life in the South, rural and suburban areas, and ordinary cities. This research ignores demographic evidence about where LGBTQ people live in the United States. I argue that these geographical choices—born out of convenience or theoretical purpose—shape the approach to studying queer life and the unintentional reproduction of a middle‐class, cosmopolitan universal gay subject. I chart a future path for sociology research on LGBTQ life that accounts for geography and moves beyond metronormativity.

A Historical and Hermeneutical Approach to the Vice-Lists: A Pauline Perspective

The subject of homosexuality is controversial in the Church, even among Pentecostals; consequently, there has arisen a need for a historical and hermeneutical examination of the topic, especially in the Pauline corpus. The vice-lists of ancient literature along with the ones in the Pauline epistles provide insight into the apostle’s understanding of their purpose and function. Of the ones where Paul lists sexual sins, three specifically mention homosexuality: Romans 1:26–27, 1 Corinthians 6:9–10, and 1 Timothy 1:9–10. Th is article discusses Paul’s understanding of the connection between homosexuality and idolatry and provides an in-depth analysis of the Greek words μαλακοί and ἀρσενοκοῖται. It concludes by emphasizing the Pauline response to overcoming the vices he enumerates: follow the Spirit.

Riflessioni in merito alla rivelazione del coming-out tardivo di uno dei genitori

This paper comes by a consideration about a psychological Court Appointed Expert, requested on 2009 by the Florence Court, in determining the best interests of the child following the late coming out of one of parents. The Authors propose a reflection on the changes of recent years in the directives based on scientific research and reverberating on the possibility of procreation, custody and adoption of children by homosexual subjects. The Authors contrast the literature on the possible influence of the homosexual parenting on offspring, the theories about the possible retention of pathogenicity of any familiar secret and finally, they discuss and integrate the scientific guidelines orienting the menagement of Court Appointed Expert.

Sessualità negate? L'eros negli istituti penitenziari

The article deals with sexuality among prisoners. Through discussing different studies carried out on this issue in the national and international scientific panorama, the text reconstructs the main approaches adopted by social sciences - especially sociology - in dealing with sexuality among prisoners. Trying to adopt a non-essentialist perspective on sexuality, also aimed at deconstructing some diffused stereotypes, the article offers an analysis of the relationship between eros and sexual comfort in prison; then, it discusses different sexual practices and the meanings conferred to them among prison boundaries; finally it deals with the theme of homosexuality. In the conclusions, the authors focus the attention on the importance of not neglecting social and political matters connected to this field of study and invite to have a greater sensibility toward the gender perspective when dealing with feminine and masculine sexuality in prison.

Skeletons in the Closets: Gay Themes in Philippine Fictions in English

Skeletons in the Closets: Gay Themes in Philippine Fictions in English

The Druzification of History: Queering Time, Place, and Faith in Diasporic Fiction by Rabih Alameddine

Cet article analyse les œuvres de Rabih Alameddine consacrées à la diaspora libanaise aux États Unis, en particulier The Hakawati (2008), I, the Divine (2001), et KOOLAIDS: The Art of War (1998). Il montre comment le roman The Hakawati , en replaçant la question taboue de l’homosexualité dans l’histoire de l’islam, va à l’encontre de sa répression dans les sociétés modernes de culture islamique. L’article amorce également une critique de l’homonationalité américaine dans I, the Divine , et examine les procédés de « queering » de l’histoire, des lieux et des textes sacrés dans KOOLAIDS , dont le récit entremêle la guerre civile au Liban et la crise du SIDA aux États-Unis. En « druzifiant », c’est-à-dire en suturant diverses traditions narratives et religieuses, Alameddine démontre la nature foncièrement hybride de la sensibilité diasporique.

Fraternal Birth Order, Family Size, and Male Homosexuality: Meta-Analysis of Studies Spanning 25Years.

The fraternal birth order effect is the tendency for older brothers to increase the odds of homosexuality in later-born males. This study compared the strength of the effect in subjects from small versus large families and in homosexual subjects with masculine versus feminine gender identities. Meta-analyses were conducted on 30 homosexual and 30 heterosexual groups from 26 studies, totaling 7140 homosexual and 12,837 heterosexual males. The magnitude of the fraternal birth order effect was measured with a novel variable, the Older Brothers Odds Ratio, computed as (homosexuals' older brothers÷homosexuals' other siblings)÷(heterosexuals' older brothers÷heterosexuals' other siblings), where other siblings=older sisters+younger brothers+younger sisters. An Older Brothers Odds Ratio of 1.00 represents no effect of sexual orientation; values over 1.00 are positive evidence for the fraternal birth order effect. Evidence for the reliability of the effect was consistent. The Older Brothers Odds Ratio was significantly >1.00 in 20 instances, >1.00 although not significantly in nine instances, and nonsignificantly <1.00 in 1 instance. The pooled Older Brothers Odds Ratio for all samples was 1.47, p<.00001. Subgroups analyses showed that the magnitude of the effect was significantly greater in the 12 feminine or transgender homosexual groups than in the other 18 homosexual groups. There was no evidence that the magnitude of the effect differs according to family size.

The ironic gay spectator: The impacts of centring western subjects in international LGBT rights campaigns

With the theory of ‘ironic spectatorship’ (2013), Chouliaraki contends that the experience of the self, rather than the suffering of the other, is at the heart of solidarity campaigns today. Through that lens, this article critiques the centring of the western gay subject in international queer advocacy, using the vilification of Uganda’s anti-homosexuality law as a case study. Through analysis of Stephen Fry’s documentary Out There, and a variety of human rights literature, I conclude that this tendency, as well as being ethically violent, tangibly undermines efforts to achieve queer empowerment.

“Finally, She’s Accepted Herself!”

The out gay subject is the well-adjusted, neoliberal subject. This essay investigates contemporary lesbian and gay coming out narratives, tracing how the “problem” with gay and lesbian identities appears therein not as one’s gender or sexual queerness but as one’s (potential) lack of self-acceptance and self-assertion. These new coming out narratives at once both disavow and point to the continued presence of heteronormativity and queer oppression in everyday life. They also index widespread adherence not only to a neoliberal model of the self as transparent and naturally self-interested but also to the conservative concepts of adjustment and adaptation that are central both to neoliberal governance and to the psychological movement that sought to depathologize homosexuality.

”Elämäni vaikein ristiriita”. Affektit ja vanhoillislestadiolainen homoseksuaalisuus

&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D; Artikkeli käsittelee vanhoillislestadiolaista herätysliikettä, jonka seksuaalietiikkaa määrittelevät vahva konservativismi ja heteronormatiivisuus. Artikkelissa tarkastellaan vanhoillislestadiolaisiksi homoseksuaaleiksi itsensä identifioivien ihmisten omaelämäkerrallisia kirjeitä kysyen, millaista homoseksuaalista subjektiutta erilaiset uskonyhteisön sisällä elävät affektiiviset rajanvedot ja käytänteet tuottavat. Kysymystä tarkastellaan sekä yksilön että perheen ja suvun lähisuhteiden tasolla: kuinka seksuaalinen subjektius rakentuu yksilön itseensä kohdistamissa pohdinnoissa? Entä kuinka perheen keskinäiset affektiiviset käytänteet mahdollistavat homoseksuaalina elämisen ja toimimisen? Artikkeli haastaa pohtimaan toisin näkemystä uskonnosta vain seksuaalisuutta rajoittavana voimana. Vaikka pintatasolla näyttää siltä, että vanhoillislestadiolainen yhteisö torjuu voimakkaasti homoseksuaalisuuden, aineistona olevien kirjeiden analyysi osoittaa, että yhteisön sisällä käydään jatkuvasti monimuotoisia affekteihin kytkeytyviä neuvotteluja esimerkiksi pyhän rajoista ja niistä ehdoista, joilla homoseksuaalisesti tunteva voi tulla osaksi yhteisöä.&#x0D; &#x0D; &#x0D;

Exploring the de-stigmatizing effect of social media on homosexuality in China: an interpersonal-mediated contact versus parasocial-mediated contact perspective

ABSTRACTThe subject of homosexuality remains taboo in contemporary China, given that the public maintains a considerably negative attitude toward the subject. Recent Pew Research indicates that, on average, 21% of Chinese respondents believe that homosexuality should be accepted. However, parallel surveys of Internet users paint a different picture, as online surveys found a more liberal atmosphere toward homosexuality and same-sex marriage. The online and offline discrepancy in attitudes toward homosexuality begs the question of whether the Internet carries a stigma-reducing function in terms of views on sexual minority groups. Guided by the contact hypothesis and parasocial contact theory, the current study investigates the de-stigmatizing effect of the social media on homosexuality in China. A web-based survey with 980 social media users with a heterosexual orientation confirmed the positive role of interpersonal-mediated contact with lesbian and gay celebrities via social media venues in stigma reduction; but findings did not lend support to the parasocial-mediated contact hypothesis.

Representing the Themes of Marginalization and Homosexuality in Mahesh Dattani’s on a Muggy Night in Mumbai

Representing the Themes of Marginalization and Homosexuality in Mahesh Dattani’s on a Muggy Night in Mumbai