Male Identity Research Articles

P-05 17Β-HYDROXYSTEROID DEHYDROGENASE 3 DEFICIENCY: TWO CASE REPORTS

Abstract Introduction 17-β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type3 (17β-HSD3) is an enzyme that produces testosterone from androstenedione, encoded by the HSD17B3 gene. Its deficiency causes 46 XY disorder of sex development (DSD) with autosomal recessive inheritance. 46 XY individuals with this enzyme deficiency can exhibit a wide range of phenotypes, ranging from normal female external genitalia to ambiguous genitalia. In early childhood, the diagnosis might be clinically indistinguishable from other causes of 46 XY DSD such as partial androgen insensitivity syndrome (AIS) and 5α-reductase type 2 deficiency. Laboratory diagnosis is based on a low testosterone/androstenedione ratio. The diagnosis is confirmed by molecular genetic testing. If the diagnosis is missed in early infancy, patients present with severe virilization symptoms and amenorrhea during puberty. We present two siblings followed and managed with a presumed diagnosis of AIS until the genetic testing was performed. Clinical Case 1 A 4-month-old patient with female external genitalia was operated on with suspicion of bilateral inguinal hernia, and pathologic investigation revealed immature testicular tissue. No uterus and ovaries could be detected by pelvic ultrasound. The karyotype analysis was consistent with 46 XY, and the patient was followed up with the diagnosis of AIS. The patient’s parents were first cousins. The patient was started on estradiol replacement when she was 13 years old. At the age of 21, she underwent vaginoplasty due to a 2 cm long vaginal canal. A genetic analysis was available when the patient was 21 years old. Next generation sequencing revealed a previously reported homozygous c.277+5g>A mutation in exon 3 of HSD17B3 gene. The diagnosis was established as 17β-HSD3 deficiency. Clinical Case 2 After the index case was diagnosed with AIS karyotype analyses were performed on three other siblings at the time. The patient’s 7 years old sibling, who had a complete female-appearing genitalia, had a karyotype of 46XY. As the presumed diagnosis was AIS, bilateral orchiectomy was performed after counselling. Estradiol replacement was started at the age of 14 and complete breast development was achieved. Vaginal length was reported as 8 cm. Further genetic analysis was performed at the age of 27 and it revealed that the two siblings shared the same genetic mutation. Both preferred to retain the female gender identity during adulthood. Two other female siblings with a karyotype of 46XX and both parents had a heterozygous c.277+5g>A mutation in the HSD17B3 gene. Conclusion Although clinical evaluation and laboratory test results might point out to 17-β-HSD3 deficiency, the definite diagnosis is established with genetic testing. As these patients might develop male gender identity, awareness of the disease and early genetic testing is of importance for the prevention of misdiagnoses, counselling for gender identity, deciding on surgical interventions, and management of these patients.

“Boys and Men”: The Making of Senegambian and Congolese Masculinity and Identities in Tropical Africa: A Reflection

Our paper focuses on two white pioneering scientists, Dr Dutton, who was English, and Dr Todd, a Canadian, employed by the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (LSTM) to study sleeping sickness in colonial Senegambia, West Africa. We analysed photographs and some published personal letters to help us reflect on some of their constructions of Senegambian and Congolese male identities in tropical colonial Africa. In this paper, we connect with the history of tropical medicine, a precursor to public health. Public health was a research area that was central to Peter Aspinall’s work as he argued for shifts from simplistic hegemonic terminologies to refer to an incredibly diverse Black African population, as failure to do so impacts on service provisions. Within the context of tropical medicine, we reflect on the paternalistic terminology and use of the word ‘boy’ to refer to their unnamed male helpers who they photographed during these expeditions. We hope that by interpreting the photographs and reflecting on the literature and letters, exercises that are influenced by our positionality, we can obtain a glimpse into the past and obtain some insights that contribute to our understanding of the production of colonial masculinities, terminology, and race. As female authors employed by LSTM, we are aware that our positionalities influence the lenses through which we view and interpret the literature and the photos. Our paper contributes towards the ongoing debates on terminology, race, and whiteness in colonial tropical medicine.

Gender and antiracist ally characteristics: attitudes, actions, and receptivity to antiracist feedback

ABSTRACT Receiving antiracist feedback is an imperative preparatory step for antiracist work. The process of receiving antiracist feedback and cultivating antiracist characteristics intersects with gender socialization. Moreover, receiving antiracist feedback may impact White individuals’ experience of nonracist attitudes and engagement in antiracist actions. Antiracist characteristics were analysed in a sample of 108 White college students. Participants were randomly assigned to receive antiracist feedback from an alleged feedback author with an African American male or White female identity. The results indicated that participant gender was a strong predictor of receptivity to feedback when the feedback provider had an African American male identity. Furthermore, White guilt partially mediated the positive relationship between receptivity to feedback and self-directed antiracist action. These results suggest that both the gender of the participant and feedback provider influence the way antiracist feedback is interpreted and that specific nonracist attitudes may partly explain the pathway between receiving feedback and engaging in self-directed antiracist action.

The slippery slope: an autoethnography of masculinity socialization in educational settings

There has been existing literature on men and masculinity scholarship that undergirds the importance of examining gender performance and identity through an intersectional analysis. This study uses Harro’s cycle of socialization framework to investigate how the authors experience masculinity socialization through secondary and postsecondary environments. Through a duoethnography approach, the authors highlight the pervasive ways that hegemonic and dominant masculinity discourse shapes and influences the authors lived experiences among peers, family, and other educational environments. Findings from this study illuminated how the authors navigated hegemonic masculinity norms, ideals, and culture of parental figures throughout their childhood, harmful masculinity socialization in high school, and subscribing to normalized masculine fraternity culture. The authors offer critical perspectives on how educational settings must shift their understanding of harmful masculinity policies, practices, and socialization.

Leadership, Gender, and School Culture: Navigating Power and Resistance in Education

This paper investigates the ongoing gender inequalities within education systems, influenced by globalization and entrenched power dynamics that often limit gender inclusivity. Global initiatives aimed at gender equality frequently adopt a universalist approach, yet this can mask intersectional disparities and reinforce hegemonic masculinity, especially through the spread of Western masculine ideals. Within educational institutions, heteronormative and cisnormative school cultures frequently marginalize non-heterosexual identities, creating challenging environments for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) students. Although anti-discrimination policies exist, many teachers lack adequate training to address gender and sexuality issues, leading to adverse academic and social outcomes for marginalized students. The study reveals that traditional educational leadership often reinforces conventional gender norms, while transformational leadership grounded in social justice is essential to fostering inclusivity and addressing intersecting inequalities. The findings underscore the need for structural reforms to establish supportive and equitable school settings that acknowledge and celebrate diverse gender identities

Gynecological gender-affirming surgeries: what are the motivations and experiences? A qualitative study.

Although many transmasculine individuals undergo 1 or more gynecological surgeries (ie, hysterectomy, oophorectomy, tubectomy, or colpectomy), little has been published about motivation, subjective experiences, and the effect on dysphoria and quality of life. The aim of this study was to acquire an in-depth understanding of patients' motivations and experienced outcomes of gynecological gender surgery. In this qualitative study, in-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted. Nine participants were included who were: on the waiting list for their first gynecological surgery (n = 2), or who had either undergone gynecological surgery as part of their transitioning (ie, hysterectomy) and were on the waiting list for another gynecological procedure (ie, colpectomy, n = 2), or who had undergone gynecological surgery and did not wish to undergo any further surgeries (n = 5). In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted. Topics discussed were motivation to opt for a specific surgery, expectations, and experiences. Thematic analysis was carried out to compose themes from the interview transcripts using the concepts of body image and gender affirmation as a theoretical lens. The primary outcomes of this study were composed themes based on thematic analysis of the interview transcripts. Three subthemes were identified, displaying how gynecological surgeries could contribute to gender affirmation: body representation matching oneself; achieving functional congruence; and enabling further surgical transition. This study offers valuable insights for healthcare professionals in patient counseling and shared decision-making and provides a foundation for developing patient-reported outcome measures tailored to transmasculine individuals. To our knowledge, this is the first qualitative report to study the motivations for and outcomes of gynecological gender-affirming surgeries in such depth; however, the results cannot be directly applied to other settings without considering the local context, including factors such as legislation and insurance policies. This study highlights how gynecological surgeries, unlike more visible gender-affirming procedures like chest surgeries, address internal conflicts related to the masculine identity by altering the body's functioning, thereby playing an important role in the process of gender affirmation.

Unipolarity in understanding gender equality: ignoring male aspects in global politics

The presented scientific research reveals a significant imbalance in approaches to ensuring gender equality. An analysis of global trends shows that excessive focus on women's issues creates significant obstacles to achieving genuine gender parity. It is noteworthy that the systematic disregard of masculine aspects in socio-political discourse significantly complicates the implementation of an integrated approach to gender issues. This scientific work focuses on the need to rethink the current paradigm, where the exclusively feminist agenda dominates, which contradicts the principles of comprehensive equality. The subject of the research is to focus on a comprehensive analysis of strategic initiatives and policy documents of supranational structures (in particular, the European Union and the United Nations) in the context of gender issues. The fundamental objective of this scientific work is a critical understanding of the current imbalances in gender policy, followed by the development of scientifically sound tools for the effective implementation of masculine components in the existing system of gender regulation of international organizations. To achieve these goals, various methods were used, including comparative analysis, content analysis, and structural analysis of discourse, which made it possible to identify dominant approaches to gender issues and assess the extent to which men's issues were included in official documents. The results of the study indicate that ignoring issues of masculine identity and gender discrimination creates significant obstacles to the formation of an effective system of gender-legal relations. This problem is aggravated by the emergence of interpersonal confrontations and social tensions in the field of gender interaction. Moreover, there is a disorientation of individuals in the context of behavioral patterns characteristic of both sexes, which leads to discriminatory practices against young people and an escalation of conflict potential in intersex relationships. In the context of modern scientific research, the issue of gender parity requires methodological transformation and rethinking of basic conceptual provisions. The integration of cross-cultural components into the system of social stratification analysis makes it possible to form a multidimensional model of equality that takes into account the ethnocultural and demographic characteristics of various social groups. Of particular importance is the modernization of existing approaches to migration policy through the prism of gender differentiation, which contributes to the creation of an effective mechanism for ensuring equal opportunities on a global scale.

“I’m Not as Gay as Some Other Queer People”: Exploring Bi + Men’s Perceptions of Masculinity and Sexual Identity

Research has highlighted the constraints imposed on bi + people as they navigate sexual and romantic encounters within a society which privileges exclusive attraction to one gender. For bi + men, these expectations are complicated by hegemonic masculine norms which dictate the boundaries of gender expression. This qualitative study explores how bi + men navigate the boundaries of normative gender and sexual expression in constructing a bisexual-masculine identity. Twenty-two cisgender bi + men participated in semi-structured interviews, where they were invited to discuss their beliefs about bisexuality and masculinity. The findings explore the ways that bi + men navigate the borders of hetero- and queer masculinities in constructing a bisexual-masculine identity, identifying traits and characteristics which affirm a sense of masculinity. The findings also identify the barriers bi + men experience in aligning their masculine and bisexual identities, which often led to a feeling of liminality and erasure of their bisexual identity.

The Expectation for a Son to Mature into a Paternity

<The South-Goods Shop> provides a rich and detailed portrayal of the lives of men in rural counties and villages of China in the latter half of the 20th century. Through this text, one can observe the discourse of masculinity mainly characterized by "paternity," as well as the contexts in which various survival needs and cultural experiences are generated. By exploring the dynamic of male growth and life experiences in the continuous pursuit of trusting connections between self and others, under the anxiety of "paternity" identity that haunts them, the situation of suppression and objectification faced by men can be revealed. In this process, the simultaneous attention to the stage-specific expression of male identity and that of the family space constitutes the main line of reasoning in this paper.

Technology incubators as local gender regimes: performing entrepreneurial masculinities

PurposeAcknowledging that technology incubators are gendered organizations, the purpose of this paper is to investigate how gender patterns, norms and practices of entrepreneurial masculinities are performed within technology incubators. Although incubators within the same country represent similar types of contexts, they also develop organizational variations. Local gender regimes, norms and actions within an incubator have implications for the type of entrepreneurs who are attracted to and feel included in a particular incubator.Design/methodology/approachFour Norwegian incubators were studied. Data was collected through interviews with incubator managers, and male and female entrepreneurs. The interview data was complemented with observations and analysis of webpages. To analyse data, we used a qualitative, inductive approach, where a thematic analysis helped us to create a framework of incubators as gendered organizations.FindingsBuilding on Connell's (2006) four-dimension framework, we found that the studied incubators all perform gendered patterns, norms and practices, related to division of labour, relations of power, emotion and human relations as well as culture and symbolism. They facilitate and perform entrepreneurial masculinities in different ways, expressing both traditional and modern masculine ideals. We found several examples of how these masculine ideals and norms were dominating, with effects on both female and male founders and expressed through a variety of emotions.Originality/valueThis study contributes to literature on masculinities, by exploring the pluralities of masculinity within incubators as gendered regimes. Further, findings contribute to the understanding of incubators as gendered organizations.

THE IMPACT OF MASCULINITY IN IDENTITY FORMATION, HEALTH BEHAVIORS AND OUTCOMES IN THE MASCULINE IDENTITY FORMATION – IN RELATION TO ‘BOYS DON’T CRY’ (1999) AND ‘THE MASK YOU LIVE IN’ (2015)

This study critically investigates the impact of masculinity on identity affirmation and the impact of men's health behaviours and outcomes in masculine identity formation concerning the movies, ‘Boys Don't Cry’ (1999) and ‘The Mask You Live In’ (2015). The objective of the study is to examine the dichotomy between stereotypical masculinity and its effect on the physical and psychological disposition of males. It further elaborates on the possibility of constructing an alternative masculinity model that can improve men's health. As a qualitative research paradigm, the study employs Content analysis and Thematic analysis to analyze diversified narrative structures to identify the impact of violence, relationships, vulnerability, and emotional enticements in both films to explore the capability to reconstruct physical and psychological spaces for men. The findings of the study reveal that both films articulate a critical portrayal of traditional masculinity and the negative consequences of the identity formation of males. ‘Boys Don't Cry’ depicts the protagonist's adherence to masculine norms as a significant barrier to seeking help for his physical and mental health issues, ultimately leading to tragic consequences. Simultaneously, ‘The Mask You Live In’ suggests the impact of toxic masculinity on young males and how they are socialized into behaviours and attitudes that can lead to negative health outcomes such as substance abuse and depression that criticize the narrow identification of masculinity. In conclusion, both films highlight the necessity to have more nuanced and intersectional approaches to understand the complex rapport of identity formation, masculinity and the health of males to promote positive models of masculinity.

‘I am a father but not pregnant’: a qualitative analysis of the perspectives of pregnant couples on male partner role during pregnancy care in Bamenda, Cameroon

Abstract Background The reduction of maternal mortality has stagnated globally. Estimates project a rise to 140.9 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030, which is double the Sustainable Development Goal target. Male involvement in pregnancy care has been proposed as an intervention to improve maternal and child health outcomes. However, there is limited understanding of how communities view the role of men beyond the instrumentalist approach that only targets men as accompanying partners without altering the underlying gender and socio-cultural determinants that shape their involvement in pregnancy care. This study broadens existing research by exploring and and contextualising the role of male partners during pregnancy in Bamenda, Cameroon. Methods This study employed a qualitative design underpinned by symbolic interactionism. We conducted 68 semi-structured interviews (SSIs) and three focus group discussions (FGDs) with purposively selected pregnant women (n = 38 SSIs; n = 2, FGD) and male partners (n = 30 SSIs; n = 1, FGD) in an urban hospital in the North West Regional capital—Bamenda. Nvivo was used for data management and subsequently, we performed thematic analysis using a critical discourse lens to generate manifest and latent interpretations of study findings. Results The role of male partners reflected hegemonic masculinity and was broadly conceptualised in three categories: breadwinner, protector/comforter, and ‘sender’ for antenatal care. Perceptions of men’s role differed between male and female participants. While women sought male involvement for pragmatic reasons like joint attendance of antenatal care, psychosocial support (affirmation) and assistance with domestic chores, men limited their involvement to roles that matched gendered preconceptions of masculinity like financial support for antenatal fees, maternal nutrition and birth supplies. Nonetheless, the perceived benefits for antenatal attendance was expressed by some men in terms of the direct access it gives them to pregnancy-related education from experts, paternal bonding and the appeal of fast-track services for couples. Conclusion Male involvement in maternal and child health in Bamenda Health District is an extension and reflection of how patriarchal norms on masculinity are constructed and adapted in this setting. To address gaps in male involvement, intervention designers and implementers will need to take into account prevailing culture-specific norms while deconstructing and leveraging masculine ideals to situate male involvement in the prenatal context.

Cometh the hour, cometh the woman: Jacinda Ardern’s crisis leadership and issues of gender

ABSTRACT Crises are often considered the true test of a leader. In popular narratives, being ‘tough’, decisive and suppressing emotions routinely feature as key to crisis leadership. These idealised leader attributes are entwined with dominant ideals of masculinity, influencing public expectations about how leaders should handle crises. Such perceptions cannot be readily ignored; hence, as a woman leading her nation through crisis events Jacinda Ardern was unavoidably incongruent with the manly ‘ideal leader’ prototype. This incongruity was further heightened by her approach which emphasised feminised attributes, such as kindness, empathy and embodied displays of care; the assertive exercise of her agency; and, feminist values, such as a concern for equity, inclusivity and an ethics of care. To better understand the implications of her approach, this article examines Ardern’s leadership of two significant crises – the Christchurch terror attacks and COVID-19 – via a focus on issues of gender. I argue Ardern’s leadership approach both reflected and challenged gendered norms in ways that fostered an effective crisis response, and simultaneously, evoked resistance from those hankering after the manly leader prototype. Her example thus suggests that women’s crisis leadership can incur the double jeopardy of tackling both the crisis itself and navigating their incongruity with a masculinised crisis leader prototype.

Capitalist messiahs fighting small-mindedness: hegemonic startup masculinity in a semi-peripheral context

PurposeThe aim of this study is to explore the constructions of startup masculinity as a cultural ideal in the specific context of Hungary, a semi-peripheral country in Central and Eastern Europe. Drawing on Connell’s concept of hegemonic masculinity, the paper examines how the construction of startup masculinity, considered hegemonic in a given space and time, subordinates “others”.Design/methodology/approachThe study employs a critical discourse analysis of 143 media articles published in the Hungarian print and online Forbes magazine. It builds upon the concepts and theoretical models of hegemonic masculinity, entrepreneurial masculine identities, discursive identity construction and semi-peripherality.FindingsThe study highlights two key findings. Firstly, it reveals that the normative figure of the successful startup founder is not gender-neutral but discursively constructed as masculine, thereby excluding women. Secondly, it emphasises the hierarchical relationship between hegemonic startup masculinity and other masculinities rooted in the semi-peripheral, specifically Hungarian context, which are subordinated in the discourse. Thus, it discursively reproduces not only the hierarchical gendered relations in society, but the symbolical hierarchical relations between the core and the semi-periphery as well.Originality/valueBy examining hegemonic startup masculinity as a subordinating concept within a particular entrepreneurial and geographical context and by illuminating the significance of semi-peripheral locationality in hegemony construction, this paper contributes to both the understanding of masculinity in entrepreneurship literature and the decolonisation of masculinity studies.

Theorising masculinity, ageing, and the lived body: the case of prostate cancer

This article conceptualises how masculinity and masculine ideals are played out in relation to prostate cancer treatment and its side-effects, offering a heuristic and theoretical perspective with which to make sense of the complex interrelationship between lived gendered bodies and social structures. With the support of three case studies of older men treated for prostate cancer, the article explores how the concept of hegemonic masculinity can be used to analyse the ill and ageing body. A phenomenologically informed approach to the body, which illustrates how masculinity is lived and experienced through certain body schemas, is used. The three case studies show variation in how masculinity is enacted and embodied, illustrating actions to (1) restore and maintain masculinity through phallic experience; (2) reconstruct masculinity by connecting bodily experience to notions of the ageing and a less potent body; and (3) to counter narrowly defined notions of masculinity by dissociating or decoupling masculinity from ideals of potency and performance. With the help of the case studies, the strategies identified, and the fluidity and dynamism of the concept of hegemonic masculinity, findings reveal how inequalities between men and women are produced and maintained, in and through bodily experience, and diverse body schemas.

Men in the making of nations: understanding the nexus between nation, belonging, and complicit masculinity

ABSTRACT The ideal of masculine Hinduism which is currently being employed within the Indian national rhetoric to sustain and build a modern Hindu Rashtra is a direct consequence of India’s tryst with British imperialism. Since it is men who, as real actors of nationalist movement defend their homeland and the honour of women, the current Indian right wing politics ensures that men continue to uphold the ideals of Hindu hegemonic masculinity defined by martial prowess, muscular strength, moral fortitude and a readiness to battle groups to strengthen the nation. However, while the hegemonic notions of Hindu masculinity are achieved by a small minority who become the public face of gender and sexual politics, the majority are those who reap benefits from such gendered arrangements by being complicit in the hegemonic project. This paper makes an attempt to study the complex interdependencies between hegemonic and complicit masculinities in nation building processes in India. The aim is to uncover how complicit masculinities are created to sustain Hindutva nationalism within the current Indian climate and whether there are alternative possibilities and codes of behaviour in which privileges of masculinity and power are confronted and exposed.

Gender differences in computing interest: the role of social constructs in early paths

ABSTRACT Background and context Strong academic performance, digital skills and self-assessed ability are often unrelated to computing interest, particularly among middle school girls, when gender is especially salient. Popular misperceptions of computer science may hinder identification with the field, especially if social and creative modalities are framed as irrelevant to authentic interest. Objective We explore gender differences in computing interest by examining children’s enjoyment of digital activities. Methods A survey of 3971 middle school students was used to create an intrinsic tech values scale, which was then employed in an analysis of computer class interest. Findings In factor analysis, the historically conventional computing modalities cohere separately from the others. Logistic regressions show gender differences in computing interest declines substantially with the inclusion of the tech values scale, independent from socio-economic status, skill, and self-assessed abilities. Implications Enjoyment of conventional tech modalities appear integal to early tech pathways, independent from ability perceptions. Our findings highlight how gendered constructions of technology may create status advantage for masculine identities.

“Rotting Away Into A Woman”: Castration, Gender and Biological Sex in Late Imperial Fiction

In the aftermath of the Ming-Qing transition, philosopher Tang Zhen 唐甄 (1630–1704) wrote of eunuchs: “If a castrated individual can become a female, then [the eunuch] is acceptable, but if they cannot do this, then they remain a male” 奄若化為女子則可，不然，固男也. Here, Tang suggests the topical question: without sexual potency, does a castrated male become female? And if not, what is to be made of an emasculated male? Due to their perceived part in the dynastic fall of the Ming, eunuchs were a subject of curiosity and unease among Qing scholars like Tang, who began to question the effects of castration upon the male body. Castration, beginning with its earliest usage as a commutation for the death sentence, signaled not only social death but an entrance into the yin 陰, the cosmological force associated with the feminine and counteracted by the masculine yang 陽. Through the removal of the entire sexual organ, the castrated male was removed from Confucian society and sexually neutered in a way that was thought to render him more female than male. Eunuchs, who were also often illiterate, possessed neither sexual or social determiners of masculinity. As my following analysis of fictional Ming-Qing castration narratives will show, the presence of literally or metaphorically castrated men threatened masculine identity. A masculinity that is defined by its opposition to a constructed femininity is necessarily a fragile existence, at all times endangered by a fall into the feminine. Narratives of castration, whether of eunuchs, transformation into the female or male-male relationships, offer a compelling glimpse into late imperial definitions of gender, by illustrating when and how a male body was no longer considered that of a man.

Alternative Books in black and white: race and homoeroticism in South African male nude photography from the apartheid period

ABSTRACT Representations of black-white homoeroticism and sensuality between men of colour in apartheid-era male nude photography aimed at white gay men, which, in South Africa, were exclusive to selected titles published by Alternative Books (AB) (1981–1991), are remarkable yet neglected in queer African studies. In this article, I explore how sexual apartheid was respectively maintained and transgressed in the historical reception of such photographs by two radically different readerships: that is, by censors involved in proscribing homoerotic commodities, and by AB’s intended audiences. Drawing from historical censorship reports on AB’s titles, I propose that the inconsistent treatment of photographs from these publications according to the racial categories of the men depicted is a particularly revealing iteration of selective homophobia and ‘official’ perceptions of homosexuality during apartheid. Considering, then, that AB’s titles anticipated a historical minority readership comprised of queer insiders rather than homophobic outsiders, I make the case for a corrective by ‘outing’ the queer and anti-racist potential of such diverse homoerotic images, which rendered intelligible possibilities for intimacy repressed elsewhere in consumer markets that catered to predominantly white gay audiences and that were, in a sense, complicit with the state’s whitewashing of male homosexual identity and desire.

Examining fifty cases of convicted online romance fraud offenders

ABSTRACT This article examines fifty case files of cybercriminals that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) convicted for online romance fraud. It profiles offenders and explores the value of the Space Transition Theory in understanding digital crimes. Through documentary analysis, the study identifies key patterns in victim demographics, fraudsters’ operational strategies, and offenders’ socioeconomic backgrounds. Findings reveal a high concentration of U.S. victims (56%) and a preference among offenders for Apple’s iPhone (58%). Most offenders presented themselves as Caucasian American males (46%) or military personnel (12%), with some adopting Caucasian European male identities (10%). Victim demographics show a pronounced gender disparity: 70% of offenders primarily targeted female victims, 14% targeted male victims, 10% reached both genders, and 6% did not specify the victims’ gender. The analysis also indicates that most offenders were university students (74%), with Facebook (46%) identified as the primary platform for these fraudulent activities. The study emphasizes the need for prevention strategies that genuinely consider the socioeconomic and political conditions that may make online fraud an appealing career option.