Gay masculinity

Interviews provide an opportunity to engage the gay men who are forced to navigate mascing culture firsthand and learn about their experiences and opinions. They speak out about how they’ve suffered in the face of injustice and stand up for the rights of others who continue to suffer. In the cult of Inanna in Sumeria, trans people were like divine.”

In modern times, many gay men connect with the feminine divine through popular culture figures who embody resilience, transformation, and unapologetic self-expression.

One respondent Albert explained:

Oh, one hundred percent, that’s totally a thing [. Some participants like Andre argued that discriminating against other gay men is an effort to distance oneself from his minority status and marginalized position within society. Many of my participants echoed the belief that in-group discrimination within the gay community, specifically discrimination towards more feminine gay men, comes from a place of internalized homophobia.

Many interviewees cited the number of recent Facebook posts they have seen from their old high school friends who are younger than them featuring same-sex couples going to prom, younger gay boys wearing makeup, and other openly queer expressions that they thought were impossible only a handful of years ago. So now I say “dude” to everyone.

For Jesse, discursive mascing was a way to ensure that he was not discriminated against for having a “gay voice” or appearing “too gay.” Jesse also expresses that this discursive mascing behavior is something about which he feels conflicted and not totally comfortable.

What’s the situation there? Some men conformed to mascing behavior and inflated their own masculine presentation, if only for a time. As they explain, “It’s not until the end of the 19th century and into the 20th century that we get sort of the ideal look of what masculinity is as we are currently defining it today." This narrow vision of masculinity leaves little room for vulnerability or self-exploration, which is particularly challenging for gay men who are often positioned outside traditional ideals.

The Burden of Binary Masculinity

The binary definition of masculinity has had a lasting effect, particularly for queer men.

Many gay men are driven to build such an exquisite veneer to their lives because they need to prove that they’re winners.

I believe that this style of competition stems from the legacy of unresolved shame that lies deep within many gay men. I have to be a little bit more aware of like, “Oh, I don’t want to just be this random like object or fetishized version of myself.”

While men of color have to walk a fine line when presenting themselves online in order to gain attention without being fetishized, white men have a range of masculine expressions that are seen as attractive and receive attention on apps like Tinder and Grindr.

DISCUSSION

The gay men I interviewed overwhelmingly recognized mascing behavior in the online spaces they frequented.

When read the definition of mascing behavior and asked if they believed the term described what they saw in gay online spaces, all of the participants agreed that mascing behavior was real and very prevalent on the platforms they used. Even participants who did not actively engage in mascing behavior were aware of their authenticity and actively portrayed a mask that they felt best represented their offline self.

When you look at the traits and behaviors historically identified with masculinity, subtracting its most noxious and ultimately dysfunctional forms, gay men embody them in ways that have gone unrecognized. saying “man” or “dude” or whatever. For Jesse, “faking his way” did not seem worth it, and for that reason, he quit mascing his profile altogether. 

The Rise of the “Twink” and the Flexibility of White Masculinity

            While many gay men of color continue to face racialized fetishization and discrimination online, white gay men have enjoyed increased freedoms in the expression of their masculinity.

David explains how even as a white gay man he feels less pressure to “masc” himself online, saying that he would feel comfortable going out in drag while men of color might be stigmatized or fetishized for similar behavior. This behavior supports the argument that Goffman’s theory of social masks can be extended online.^[51] Whether or not participants felt that they were authentic in their presentation, they were aware of the mask that they wore.

We men are such an opinionated bunch.

Competition. Others seemed unaffected and did not find it hard to present an “authentic” self in online spaces. . . Overwhelmingly, participants agreed that the dynamics and politics of masculinity online were moving incredibly fast and in a positive direction.