Playing it straight: Masculinities, homophobias and schooling

Abstract

The paper looks at the ways homophobias are expressed by young men in school. We focus on the verbal and physical manifestation of these displays to question the relation this has to the formation of hetrosexual masculinities. Our analysis suggests male identities are being worked out at a performative level where homophobic practices are fused with the struggle for a particular masculinity. Such investments illustrate why homophobia is so difficult to challenge within male peer groups. Throughout the research several questions arose: Why is homophobia rife within the cultures of young men? How are these views expressed in school? What functions does homophobia serve for pupil cultures and schooling? To begin to interpret some of these questions we adopt an ethnographic approach that reveals the internal dimensions of homophobic performances. Our work focuses on the complex inter relationships of masculinity, homophobia and schooling.