The Declining Significance of Homophobia

by McCormack, Mark

• ISBN13: 9780199778249
• ISBN10: 0199778248
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2012-03-05
• Publisher: Oxford University Press

Summary

Research has traditionally shown high schools to be hostile environments for LGBT youth. Boys have used homophobia to prove their masculinity and distance themselves from homosexuality. Despite these findings over the last three decades, The Declining Significance of Homophobia tells a different story. Drawing on fieldwork and interviews of young men in three British high schools, Dr. Mark McCormack shows how heterosexual male students are inclusive of their gay peers and proud of their pro-gay attitudes. He finds that being gay does not negatively affect a boy's popularity, but being homophobic does. Yet this accessible book goes beyond documenting this important shift in attitudes towards homosexuality: McCormack examines how decreased homophobia results in the expansion of gendered behaviors available to young men. In the schools he examines, boys are able to develop meaningful and loving friendships across many social groups. They replace toughness and aggression with emotional intimacy and displays of affection for their male friends. Free from the constant threat of social marginalization, boys are able to speak about once feminized activities without censure. The Declining Significance of Homophobia is essential reading for all those interested in masculinities, education, and the decline of homophobia.

Table of Contents

Introduction

Setting the Scene

Researching Gender and Sexuality in Schools

The Study

Masculinities

Sex, Gender and Power

From Hegemonic Masculinity to Inclusive Masculinities

Teenage Boys and Schooling

The Rise and Fall of Homophobia

The Declining Significance of Homophobia

Decreasing Homohysteria

Heterosexual Recuperation

Popularity without Oppression

Homosexually-Themed Language

Gay Friendly High Schools

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