SOC 203: Social Class and Inequality

IDENTITY III: SEXUALITY, SEXUAL

ORIENTATIONS, & INEQUALITY

© Chris Cachia, 2020.

ccachia@ryerson.ca

In this fourth module/session, we’ll be looking at our third marker of identity: sexual
orientation...

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 INTRODUCTION…

http://www.rsuonline.ca/ryepride

The sexual orientation of human beings is another way in which social groups are
organized and differentiated in society. Our social world reflects an ideological system
that suggests that being heterosexual (or straight) is the norm – at the expense of all
other sexual identities; of course, we’re going to work to critique this oppressive
ideology. Much of this module/session will focus on the power of language as it relates
to markers of identity. At Ryerson, one of the Equity Service Groups of the Ryerson
Students’ Union (RSU) is RyePride; from their website: RyePride “represents the Queer
and Trans voices of Ryerson University, including: gay, lesbian, bisexual, two spirited,
trans, intersex, queer and questioning [peoples].” Amongst a slew of other important
and powerful campaigns and issues, RyePRIDE has worked to make people aware of
the homophobic language that is sometimes embedded in and used in society…

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 “That’s So Gay”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sWS0GVOQPs0

One RyePRIDE campaign was based on the (US-based) “Think Before You Speak”
advertising campaign that was launched to raise awareness of the use of derogatory
and homophobic language amongst young people and others in society towards
LGBTQ+ peoples; here is a related television commercial with Wanda Sykes
commenting on young people using the phrase “that’s so gay” (please see the above
link)…

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 AGENDA
• Sexuality on a Spectrum
• Terminology: Heterosexism
• Popular Representations: Stereotypes
• Trans Experiences: Mosaic Documentary
• Acceptability in Canada & Queer Marketing

Reality Queens…

In such a light, this is our plan…

• We’ll be considering sexuality on a spectrum, meaning not as a binary
• Given our concern with the power of language, correct terminology will here be key;
you should be able to define the following terms and concepts: the ideology of
heterosexism, as well as the meaning of LGBTT2SIQQ(A), homophobia, bisexual, and
trans
• We’ll work through a series of related and popular representations so as to expose
(or name) and explode (or deconstruct) various stereotypes
• These representations will be ordered from most visible to least, and thinking about
least visible we’ll focus on the experiences of trans people through the viewing of a
documentary entitled Mosaic
• Given all of these representations, we’ll think about impact in the real world in terms
of acceptability (in Canada) and (queer) marketing
• Finally, attention will be paid to this session’s assigned reading: “Reality Queens”
by Joshua Gamson…

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 Sexuality on a Spectrum
• When individuals do not conform to the
sex/gender system, the stereotype is that
they must be queer (with the masculine
woman as lesbian and the effeminate man
as gay)...

Remember, last week we discussed how the dominant societal understanding of

sexuality is as a binarism that directly links one’s physical sex (meaning male or female)
to stereotypical gender attributes (meaning masculinity and femininity). Of course,
when individuals do not conform to the sex/gender system, the stereotype is that such
individuals must be queer (with the masculine woman stereotyped as lesbian and the
effeminate man stereotyped as gay). A much more proper, sociological, and inclusive
view of sexuality is one that sees sex and gender and sexual orientation as on a
spectrum (and you might think of the rainbow – the symbol for queer pride – as
reflective of this spectrum)…

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 Terminology I
• Heterosexism: THE IDEOLOGY...
• LGBTT2SIQQ(A)...

As always, it is important for sociologists to define terms...

• The ideology that we can here name is heterosexism. Heterosexism revolves around
the assumption that being heterosexual is inherently better or more morally right
than being lesbian, gay, bisexual, or any other kind of non-heterosexual orientation.
Heterosexism awards power to members of the dominant group and denies power
to those others that are constructed as subordinate. It results in the positioning of
queer peoples as deviant and outsiders.
• Here is a long acronym: LGBTT2SIQQ(A) , which stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual,
trans gender, trans sexual, two-spirited (which is an Indigenous identity), intersex,
queer, questioning, and asexual or ally.
So, heterosexism is the ideology, LGBTQ is the community denied power under this
ideology, and this form of discrimination is called homophobia…

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 Terminology II
• Homophobia...
• Bisexual...
• Trans...

• Homophobia is the fear of closeness and intimacy between people of the same sex which
can be manifested in revulsion, hatred, and culturally sanctioned prejudice and violence
(which will be further discussed in this module).
• I think we’re all aware of the meaning of lesbian and gay, but to be sure: bisexual refers to
those who are attracted to and emotionally involved with both men and women. The term
bisexual has deliberately been kept open to interpretation within the bisexual movement,
recognizing that there is no one way to be bisexual. Rather, the idea here is that there are
huge variations in human sexuality that can not be discussed openly in (an oppressive and
heterosexist) society.
Bisexual peoples have been identified as, in a sense, coming out of two “closets”: as coming
out of the closet to the straight community or to heterosexist society – and also as coming
out of the closet to the lesbian and gay community. Certainly, gay and lesbian peoples may
also believe in sexual binaries (that one is attracted to either the same sex or the opposite sex);
thus, gay and lesbian people can also ascribe to stereotyping that negates bisexual orientation
as a valid sexual identity.

Finally here, Trans is a term used to describe those who reject and play with gender
identification. The terms trans gender and trans sexual are sometimes collapsed (and
sometimes with the very derogatory and outdated transvestite). The current definitions of
trans includes all trans gender identities and can also include trans sexual and intersex people,
although this simplification has been criticized. Trans people feel that sex and gender should
not be so closely tied together. People can be born female and emotionally identify as male,
and those born male are able to emotionally identify their gender as female... Trans gender
does not necessarily imply any specific form of sexual orientation.

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 Popular Cultural Stereotypes of Gay Men:
Effeminate I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GZMrivD2Aok
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So, as we have and will continue to do in our sessions and discussions concerning
markers of identity, we can think of dominant images – and we’ll here move from
most dominant to least represented; again, the goal here is to expose so as to
explode dominant stereotypes; in short, we are here working against stereotypes...

The most dominate image of queer peoples in society is of the effeminate gay man.
This is the “sissy” stereotype: the well-dressed, fashionable, and physically fit gay man
who is very much concerned with his outside appearances. Think of the amazing cast of
Queer Eye – please see clip linked above…

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 Popular Cultural Stereotypes of Gay Men:
Effeminate II

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8ujMRkUczg

Or Jack from Will & Grace – please see clip linked above…

You might link this stereotype of the effeminate gay man to our previous discussion of
sex and gender and specifically our discussion of marketing – and there will be more to
come on this…

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 Popular Cultural Stereotypes of
Gay Men: Masculine

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Perhaps a bit of an older stereotype is of the masculine gay man; think, for instance, of
the Village People (who are pictured above)...

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 Popular Cultural Stereotypes of
Gay Men: Effeminate and Masculine
• The Simpsons clip (10.58 – 14.14):
https://www.watchcartoononline.io/the-simpsons-season-8-
episode-15-homer%e2%80%99s-phobia-2#

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And we see an interesting depiction of the stereotypes of both the effeminate and masculine
gay man (and of homophobia, generally) in this clip from The Simpsons and an episode entitled
“Homer’s Phobia” (from season 8, episode 15); the storyline of this episode is focused on the
Simpsons family meeting and befriending a gay man, John – and especially of Homer’s fear that
John will somehow make Bart (who is Homer’s son) gay...

When watching this clip, think: what stereotypes are here expressed? Especially, take note of
what Homer says about the term ‘queer” – which brings us back to the importance of
language: so, here are the Simpsons – please see clip linked above (from the 10.58 to the
14.14 mark)…

Homer (the father on the show) ironically points to the power of language when John calls
himself queer and Homer responds that he takes offense to John using that term; in Homer’s
words: “I resent you people using that word. That’s our word for making fun of you. We need
it!” You can even think of how Homer is scared that his son, Bart, will become gay because of
John’s influence. Or of how Homer is scared to show Bart affection as Homer wants to be a
“regular father.” Or of how Homer refers to “real men” as working at the steel mill and – when,
apparently, everyone at the steel mill is gay – Homer comments: “has the whole world gone
insane?”; “you’re all sick”; “the whole world’s gone gay!”

"Homer's Phobia" received a positive critical response both for its humour and message of
anti-homophobia; it won an Emmy and a GLADD (Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against
Defamation) Media Award.

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 Popular Cultural Stereotypes of
Lesbian Women: Butch I

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Working from most dominate to less dominate popular images, we can also think of
the stereotype of the masculine woman as lesbian – as, for instance, embodied by
comedian and activist, Rosie O’Donnell; this is the “butch” stereotype: short-haired,
anti-fashion, and anti-cosmetic women...

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 Popular Cultural Stereotypes of
Lesbian Women: Butch II
• The Simpsons clip (10.42 – 12.54):
https://www.wcostream.com/the-simpsons-season-16-episode-
10-there’s-something-about-marrying-2

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Here is another clip from The Simpsons and an episode entitled “There’s Something
About Marrying” (from season 16, episode 10). In this episode, the town in which the
Simpsons live, Springfield, decides to legalize same-sex marriage in efforts to increase
tourism. Homer gets his marriage license so that he can make money marrying people.
Now, normally on the show, Homer is the stupid, more bigoted one (and we laugh at his
backwards ideas), while Homer’s wife, Marge, is the more liberal-minded one. But
when Marge’s sister Patty comes out as lesbian, Marge initially seems to be taken
aback…

Again, when watching this clip, think: what stereotypes are here expressed?

Please see clip linked above (from the 10.42 to the 12.54 mark)…

"There's Something About Marrying" again received a positive reaction from,

amongst others, GLADD.

An interesting note: the Fox network, which airs The Simpsons, originally began the
episode with a parental advisory warning stating that the episode "contains discussions
of same-sex marriage" and that "parental discretion is advised."

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 Popular Cultural Stereotypes of
Lesbian Women: Lipstick

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When stereotypically attractive images of lesbian women occur, they are most often
of stereotypically feminine women…

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 Lipstick Lesbians I:
“Male” Pleasure (POV/Gaze)…
• When sexual images occur, it is often
stereotypically “feminine” women who are
posed seductively for an assumed “masculine”
audience (male pleasure in watching “lesbians”);
“lipstick lesbians” – and feigned attraction...

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And these are stereotypically feminine women who are posed seductively for an
assumed masculine and straight audience – which recalls our discussion from last
module/session of the male gaze and male point-of-view (which is presumed to be a
heterosexual gaze/point-of-view)…

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 Lipstick Lesbians II

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It’s interesting to think of how women being intimate with each other is rarely taken as
a negative or threatening act – as in the above image of Kate Moss and Rihanna…

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But think, say, if 50 Cent, Dr. Dre, and Eminem kissed on stage (or, for those who know,
the controversy that arose over Lil Wayne kissing Birdman), the reaction would likely be
very different…

Possible discussion post prompt: why do you think this is so – why do you think male
same-sex attraction is seen (or stereotyped) as threatening and female same-sex
attraction is not?

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 Popular Cultural Stereotypes of
Bisexual Peoples: A Shot at Love…

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Moving on, bisexual peoples are most often stereotyped as sexually confused,
promiscuous, or as “fence sitters” (meaning either just out for the most sex possible
or as in denial of being gay or lesbian). Tila Tequila was one of the original social media
celebrities who parlayed her stardom into a reality show called A Shot At Love; on the
show (and I admit to having watched every episode!), a group of straight males and
lesbian females vie for Tila’s love in a Bachelor- or Bachelorette-like scenario. On the
first season of the show, Tila picked a man as her partner, on the second season of the
show she picked a woman. On the third season of the show, Tila was replaced with the
“ikki” twins; the third season, titled A Double Shot at Love, had a group of straight men
and a group of lesbian women vying for the affections of twin sisters Rikki and Vikki.
Clearly, the show was an outrageous spectacle and can also be tied back to the
(straight) male gaze/point-of-view…

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 Popular Cultural Stereotypes of
Bisexual Peoples: The Bi Life…

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tIGB-0uu0xo
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As a counterpoint, The Bi Life is a British dating reality program that premiered in 2018
and features bisexual people exploring the dating scene while receiving advice and
support from each other and the host; this show has been noted in the media for
promoting healthy bisexual visibility – here’s a promotional clip (please see the link
above)...

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 Popular Cultural Stereotypes
of Trans Peoples I

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And finally, images of trans peoples are often hard to find in our culture – and
particularly authentic portrayals. The most common stereotype is of those who
perform in drag (and remember that definitions of trans peoples are often – and
wrongly – collapsed) who are typecast as gossipy, into fashion, and highly femme (and
you can think here of RuPaul – more in this session’s reading – who represents the
flamboyant and colourful stereotype). But check-out the message above from a
popular Tumblr called Dear Cis People…

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 Popular Cultural Stereotypes
of Trans Peoples II

Most often (when we see images of trans people) we see images of trans women – and
trans women are often stereotyped as confused and unstable; you can note:
• Felicity Huffman in Transamerica (from 2005)
• Jared Leto in Dallas Buyer’s Club (from 2013)
• Eddie Redmayne in The Danish Girl (from 2015)
You can also note that these are all stories of trans women played by cis actors – and
all played by white cis actors…

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 MOSAIC I…
Mosaic is a documentary and dialogue. It is a film which explores the
concepts of gender, community, and survival. This film project tells
the story of one Trans youth, named Markus . . . Markus, like many
Trans* people, was experiencing homelessness and chose to take this
as an opportunity to travel across North America and learn more about
his own identity and the Trans* community. This film begins by
exploring gender, asking Trans* folks about their own experiences
and insights on the topic. Secondly, Mosaic explores the notion of the
‘Trans* community’, asking how this community is much more
complicated than is normally perceived. . . . Finally, Mosaic seeks to
explore not only the things which make the community complex, but
also the things that bring it together. By asking different Trans* folks
about their own methods of survival and resistance within cissexist
and transphobic society, Markus learns about the myriad of ways that
Trans* people continue to be resilient in the face of stark adversity…

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Precisely because of the lack of trans representation in our society, this is where we’ll
now focus…
A few years ago in one of my courses, I was privileged to teach a trans student named
Markus – and I was also honoured to serve as supervisor for his documentary project
entitled Mosaic. From the slide: Mosaic is a documentary and dialogue. It is a film
which explores the concepts of gender, community, and survival. This film project tells
the story of one Trans youth, named Markus . . . Markus, like many Trans* people, was
experiencing homelessness and chose to take this as an opportunity to travel across
North America and learn more about his own identity and the Trans* community . . . By
asking different Trans* folks about their own methods of survival and resistance within
cissexist and transphobic society, Markus learns about the myriad of ways that Trans*
people continue to be resilient in the face of stark adversity…

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 MOSAIC II…
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8n38XjgYQb8
• From Markus’ website: Markus ‘Star’ Harwood-Jones is a white,
queer, mad, trans, space-case and day-dreamer living in Tkaronto.
As an author, illustrator, and film-maker, Markus focuses on themes
of love, justice, and community. His main artistic works include the
all-trans documentary Mosaic, the young adult novel We Three, and
the series Just Julian and Romeo for Real. He is also the author of
the Confessions and Everything & All At Once zine series. Markus
holds a BA in Sociology from Ryerson University and an MA in
Gender Studies from Queen’s University. He is currently
undertaking a Ph.D. under the supervision of Dr. Trish Salah,
researching methods of creative, collaborative storytelling in trans
communities. Markus also works as a public speaker and workshop
facilitator, specializing on the topics of gender, sexuality, creative
writing, community research, zine making, and performance
(https://www.mharwoodjones.com/about/).

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Please watch the link above (up to, at least, the 14.42 mark) and pay close attention
to the ways in which folks consider gender – as a term and concept – and its role in
their lives…

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 “Acceptable” Sex:
(Obscenity) Laws in Canada I
• In Canada, we have pornography (obscenity) laws to
censor the construction of sexuality in terms of violence
or the depiction of children or animals.
• It is important to note that pornography (as defined
legally) is NOT simply sexually explicit material;
sexually explicit material can be erotica and socially
accepted.

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So, what does this all mean? I think it’s now pretty clear that culture and society serve
a basic role in defining and reflecting our societal understandings of sexual orientation
and identity; images that dominate society present heterosexuality as the norm. And
we can think of how dominant stereotypes impact the real world; we can think of
how even our laws reflect a heterosexist society – please see the slide above...

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 “Acceptable” Sex:
(Obscenity) Laws in Canada II
• In Canada, the obscenity laws have been applied to
specifically queer popular cultural products that are not
“pornographic” or obscene; for example: The Joy of
Gay Sex (but not The Joy of Sex), On Our Backs (a
lesbian women’s magazine), and Yellow Silk (an Asian
lesbian poetry anthology)...

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Please see the slide above – as though scenes of abuse are the same as an Asian
lesbian poetry anthology!

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 Sexual Orientation
and Marketing I
• Certain groups within queer culture are
represented more frequently in popular culture
than others – fashionable urban gay men
dominate in terms of queer representation in
popular culture (for example: Will and Grace or
Queer Eye) – WHY?

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We can also think of how sexuality and sexual orientation intersects with advertising
and marketing; please see the above slide – and a reflection on this could make for a
possible discussion post prompt…

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 Sexual Orientation
and Marketing II
• Marketing towards gay men is on the rise as the
advertising industry sees gay men as a good consumer
audience...

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Marketing towards gay men is on the rise as the advertising industry sees gay men as a
good consumer audience. The stereotype is that gay men have greater disposable
incomes (than women) and spend more time and money on themselves (than straight
men). Gay couples, in particular, are thought of as a goldmine by marketers as they are
also assumed to not have kids; they may be thought of as DINKS (an acronym standing
for “double income, no kids”)…

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 Reality Queens – Prompts I
• In your own words, what is Gamson’s main
argument?
• As asserted in the article, why did reality
television develop?
• According to the author, what is the off-
television world like for effeminate boys/men?

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Please use the above (and following slide’s) prompts to guide your review of Joshua
Gamson’s Reality Queens…

To be sure, Gamson asserts: the reality programming “environment has turned out to
be a welcoming place for gays and lesbians, who have served as efficient sources of
disclosure and self-acceptance drama, symbols of authenticity, and lessons in tolerance.
It is also especially queen-friendly” (52). Such reality television developed in response
to the decline of broadcast networks and rise of cable channels targeting narrower
audience segments; also, it developed because it is relatively cheap to make. Still, as
Gamson further contends, the off-television world is one of ridicule, marginalization,
and violence for effeminate boys and men.

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 Reality Queens – Prompts II
• On reality television, what is the role and
purpose of the gay style maven?
• How might the gay style maven and gay-as-
straight-girl’s-best-friend be argued to
problematize the heterosexual man?
• How does RuPaul’s Drag Race complicate,
critique, and undermine gender and sexuality
norms?

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The role and purpose of the gay style maven is, firstly, as a form “dualcasting,” wherein
(straight) women and gay men are simultaneously targeted for class striving and
consumption; indeed, “reality television has exaggerated the gay-man-as-style-maven
role and its class meanings: playing up queenly insight into the consumption habits and
cultural customs of the upper middle classes, and the ability to transform a dowdy,
taste challenged man, woman, or space into a fabulous, ‘classy’ one. This strategy
reaches female viewers, and to a lesser degree gay male ones, in a product-friendly
genre” (52). Interestingly, gay style mavens, Gamson asserts, operate from a position of
power within the genre – they tell you what to wear, how to decorate, and the like
lifestyle advice. Moreover, on reality television, the logic of off-television has been
reversed: when straight men appear in interactions with gay style mavens, it is because
the straight man needs fixing; also, the “best gay friend” shakes the straight man’s
status, making him an outsider. Finally, RuPaul’s Drag Race complicates, critiques, and
undermines gender and sexuality norms as straight men only appear to be made into –
and admit being attracted to – drag queens, and “these moments of sexual and gender
fluidity are as common on shows like Drag Race as they are rare outside television”
(54).

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 Session 4 – Review Prompts…
• Why are bisexual people sometimes said to come out of two
closets?
• Which group dominates in terms of queer representation in
popular culture – and why?
• How was The Simpsons clip depicting workers in a steel mill
(“Homer’s Phobia”) used to illustrate and critique popular
cultural stereotypes of the queer community?
• Concerning popular representations, when sexual images of
lesbian women are shown, it is often stereotypically “feminine”
women who are posed seductively for which assumed audience –
and how does this audience and its consideration relate to our
discussion of sex and gender?

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Finally, please find, above, prompts to guide your review of this session, as well as to
give you additional ideas for discussion postings…

THANK YOU!

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