GWSS 257 Chapter Masculinity: Masculinity as Homophobia

• School: UW
• Department: Gender, Women, and Sexuality Studies
• Course: GWSS 257
• Professor: Ann E.Culligan

Document Summary

Fear, shame, and silence in the construction of gender identity. If this identity is changing, we should not be scared, in fact we should embrace it because it allows us to be more actively in control of our identities--we are not born into something, not just human nature . Men demonstrating manliness/bragging in order to gain other men"s approval. Don"t brag for women because women are too lowly. Women seen as currency to prove manliness, just like a tool. Men test themselves, perform heroic feats, take enormous risks, all because we want men to grant us our manhood. Contempt for homosexuality doesn"t just stem from fear, but also the idea that it does not uphold standard of manliness. Even having fear is sign of not being manly. Shame leads to silence: because men are ashamed of their fear, they don"t speak up in face of injustice, even though in private they may not approve of it.