Question 1
One of the major characteristics of gay culture relates to the perception of masculine capital. Sexual capital is, however, greatly affected by the sexual labels among this culture. People within and outside the gay community see masculine capital differently. In both cases, anally insertive men are characterized as more masculine demonstrating attributes like deep voice and masculinity (Ravenhill, & de Visser, 2017). Anally receptive men, on the other hand, demonstrated less masculine character like thinness and high-pitched voice. The article thus identifies the general characteristics of gays, depending on their role in the act. Although gay may be understood as the same in the entire group, there are many subunits. Some gay men prefer to be like any other men without modifying their bodies and characters to look feminine. Others prefer looking feminine or masculine based on their role in the union. Bear subculture demonstrates values of dominance and living as males and o not necessarily suppress their male characteristics like hair. Others try to look feminine and suppress masculine values and characteristics. Bear men, however, demonstrate the desired characteristic. Mainstream gay men are different since they conceal their identity and do not live as per the expected standards.
Stereotyping is not a major problem among the group since members accept each other how they are without problems. Religiosity is not a major concern, but most are less religious. Main barriers relate to poor acceptance, especially by the religions and conservative groups. Cultures outside the gay culture have a different attitude towards the group. Society perceives gays as people with lower self-esteem and hence do not value. These are people who do not want or have failed to accomplish things as males and thus hide in this culture (Moskowitz, Turrubiates, Lozano, & Hajek, 2013). The general society, especially the conservative and religious ones, are hostile to gays, which is a major barrier. In particular, society shows discontent with males who show feminist characters. There are, however, opportunities for acceptance where society is increasingly avoiding judging people based on their sexuality. Liberals argue that there is no need to hate people for what they do alone. Internationally, religious and conservative countries like those dominated by Muslims are against any element of gay culture. Gay pride events are major opportunities for the group to assert its culture among the people. Religious leaders, especially outside the US, pose a major barrier to the culture.
Question 2
One of the key things learned from internet resources is that muscles gay culture value muscles as a strong distinguishing feature. Boys with muscles are values by the gay culture since it is a major distinguishing feature. The distinguishing feature is necessary considering that some men act as females and vice versa. Muscles are used as hierarch where the boys who spend more time in the gummy, especially in Australia, occupy the top slot and others later. Muscular boys are valued and overrepresented in most of the gay activities like pornography and posters. Some clubs accommodate muscled boys only and sidelining the rest. Gay is highly valued by the culture and engages in activities that cut off nongay from their activities. According to the article, non-gays are not allowed to attend the Poof Doof in Australia.
Another thing learned is that gayest is not a foreign construction as it has for long taught. Many African writers point out that gay culture was introduced from the west through events like Christianity. However, the internet shows that gay culture has existed in the African community for a long and did not come with the whites. However, the most interesting thing is how gay culture was evident among Africans. For instance, Africans’ artwork demonstrates that same-sex were common occurrences, especially as a rite of passage among the African boys. Some African kingdoms and leaders engaged in gay culture, and there were words for the acts. For instance, Kabaka Mutes of the Buganda kingdom engage in sex with men even before the Europeans arrived in the country. In Nigeria, the term yan daudu referred to men who engaged in sex with other men meaning these acts were evident. Africans have, however, rejected gay culture, and any attempt to fight it receives a lot of praise from the people. For instance, President Museveni of Uganda is seen as a hero for ensuring anti-gay legislations sail through parliament and is a law now.
Question 3
One of the current surprises is that gay culture is discriminative of both fellow gays and straight people. Muscular men are given priority, which is not evident in those who are less muscular. Some gay clubs like Poof Doof also do not admit non-gays, meaning they discriminate against them. Surprisingly, gays complain of being discriminated against yet discriminate against others. Discrimination and possession of different values move away from the critical tenets of gay culture. Gays do not have one large culture. There are many subcultures within gays, mostly based on the bear principle. Africans are the greatest opposition to gay culture, although the reading shows that it was also in the African community. Coincidentally, they use the bible, which was introduced by the whites, to fight the culture.
Question 4
The results of the research inform my decision in the case of immersion activities. I understand that there are many differences within the gay community, and it is not one united culture, as many believe. The gay culture is diverse, like any other culture, and it is wrong to assume that because they are the same, they have a similar culture. Some of the gays do not feel accommodated by the larger society, mostly because of the differences. Both the internet and media identify the differences, which show that emersion activities may come across the differences.
There may be opposition to any external force that tries to penetrate the gay community. The assertion is realized based on the interaction with the scholarly article and internet sources. Emersion activities may thus be hampered by the culture and gays who feel that their actions are exposed to people who should not involve themselves since they are seen as outsiders. The search provides an impetus for gaining more knowledge about the group to understand the potential limitations and ways of handling them. Any activities can have opposition based on the culture’s diversity, and hence I will always be prepared to handle them. My expectation is expanded, and I do not expect to come across only one group, but various groups’ different reactions where some may be negative.
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