Date of Award

2014

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelors

Department

Social Sciences

First Advisor

Fairchild, Emily

Keywords

Gay, Masculinity, Internet, Community, Gender Studies

Area of Concentration

Sociology

Abstract

Gaybros are young masculine gay (and bisexual and queer) men subscribed to the online community of “r/gaybros,” self-described as a place to talk about “guy stuff.” With an identity located at the intersection of masculinity and male homosexuality, gaybros provides insight into the construction of sexual identity vis-à-vis gender identity. Specifically, gaybros allow us to examine the ways in which gay men’s masculinity must negotiate with the strong linkage between male homosexuality and effeminacy. In this thesis I ask: how do gaybros understand gaybro identity as it traverses contemporary (both academic and popular) understandings of masculinity, effeminacy and the relationship between gender identity and sexuality? Data comes from 29 semi-structured qualitative interviews conducted with gaybros via Skype. I found gaybros value their masculinity above their gayness. Gaybros thus construct their identity in order to affirm their masculinity while protecting it from the ever-present specter of effeminacy that threatens all gay men.

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