[Commentary] [USA] On The Relationship Between 'Masculine' Gay Men, Exclusion And Pro-Trans Activism

[Stephanie Stevens]

Towleroad, USA


06/29/2012

On The Relationship Between 'Masculine' Gay Men, Exclusion And
Pro-Trans Activism


[Image: Gay Clones]

There's no question that there's a cult of masculinity among many gay
men, one that encourages us to hit the gym, flex our muscles and "fit
in" with a larger male culture that wants us to be Superman, instead
of super slim. But does that culture also impact our politics?

Activist Richard Lyon seems to think so. From his most recent piece at
Huffington Post
<http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-lyon/the-cult-of-gay-masculinity_b_1631713.html>
:

From an effort to counter the notion that all gay men are
effeminate, they have moved toward the position that all gay men
should present an image of red-blooded American masculinity. The drive
toward becoming respectable leaves no room for the presence of gay men
who are less than fully and thoroughly butch.
….
We see a good bit of political conflict about the inclusion of the
transgender community under the LGBT/queer tent. Self-declared gay
pundits like Dan Savage and John Aravosis have, on repeated occasions,
questioned the desirability of a close alliance between the two
groups. To my mind it is not just a clear-cut issue of trans vs. gay.
There seems to be a notion that the all-new and improved gay image
will be devalued by association with anyone who doesn't conform to the
masculinity specification. This includes gay men who fail to measure
up on the butch index.

Questions? Comments? Critique?


Posted Jun. 29,2012 at 8:07 AM EST by Andrew Belonsky in Health, News,
Transgender


http://www.towleroad.com/2012/06/on-the-relationship-between-masculine-gay-men-and-pro-trans-activism.html