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Abstract
This article performs textual analysis of discourse on Oscar Pistorius that appears on the homosexual discussion forums DataLounge and JustUsBoys. ‘Before’ and ‘after’ discourses – divided by Pistorius’s 2013 fatal shooting of his girlfriend – read Pistorius and his crime along sexuality and disability lines. I argue that it is worthwhile analysing how disability is constructed from different positions of marginalisation, especially when this at times yields discriminatory narratives. Pistorius, his disability, and his infamy are read by a community that itself exists outside the realm of mainstream debate, offering insight into disability and (homo)sexuality, adding greater dimension to ‘intersectional’ approaches to both.
Notes
1. See Howe (Citation2011) for a discussion of the technology behind modern prostheses – Pistorius’s ‘blades’ in particular – and whether such technology is actually empowering disabled athletes.
2. See Halperin (Citation2002) for a discussion of the history and tensions of terms such as ‘homosexual’ and ‘gay’.
3. See https://www.datalounge.com/thread/11843436-oscar-pistorius-should-pose-nude (accessed 7 March 2016).
4. See https://www.datalounge.com/thread/11856982-you-get-to-eat-out-any-celebrity-s-ass-part-2 (accessed 7 March 2016).
5. See https://www.datalounge.com/thread/15548674-shameful-crushes (accessed 7 March 2016).
6. See http://nyti.ms/1ZakQu6 (accessed 7 March 2016).
7. See http://www.justusboys.com/forum/threads/159342-Debate-On-Amputee-Sprinter-Is-He-Too-Abled (accessed 7 March 2016).
8. See http://www.justusboys.com/forum/threads/302578-amputee-fetish (accessed 15 March 2016).
9. The title is akin to ‘2 Girls 1 Cup’, an excerpt from Marco Antônio Fiorito’s scat-fetish film Hungry Bitches, which went viral in 2007.
10. See http://www.justusboys.com/forum/threads/435110-Should-amputees-ruled-out-from-disexualization (accessed 15 March 2016).
11. ‘Hot Topics’ being the forum to which this thread was posted.
12. See http://dreambulge.tumblr.com/post/30626776842/oscar-pistorius (accessed 29 March 2016).
13. I use homoerotic deliberately here, as distinct from homosexual, in that it is a fantasy more connected with the erotic than the sexual (see Bergeret Citation2002, 352). This distinction seems appropriate given Pistorius’s ostensive heterosexuality and the types of fantasies engaged in, such as male/male prison rape.
14. See https://www.datalounge.com/thread/12467953-2012-olympic-champion-oscar-pistorius-shot-and-killed-girlfriend (accessed 21 March 2016).
15. See https://www.datalounge.com/thread/13861114-does-anyone-believe-oscar-pistorius- (accessed 21 March 2016).
16. For further examples, see: https://www.datalounge.com/thread/12491022-oscar-pistorius-wtf/; https://www.datalounge.com/thread/14478497-he-escaped-a-murder-conviction-but-oscar-pistorius-now-awaits-his-sentence-for-culpable-homicide-; https://www.datalounge.com/thread/13708936-south-africa-has-an-entire-tv-channel-devoted-to-the-oscar-pistorius-trial; https://www.datalounge.com/thread/13889869-do-you-believe-oscar-pistorius-m-lady-; https://www.datalounge.com/thread/14374560-oscar-pistorius-is-going-to-walk; https://www.datalounge.com/thread/15448517-breaking-oscar-pistorius-likely-to-be-paroled-this-august; https://www.datalounge.com/thread/15448632-oscar-pistorius-‘to-be-released-in-august’; https://www.datalounge.com/thread/13070935-oscar-pistorius-to-be-charged-for-premeditated-murder-of-girlfriend; https://www.datalounge.com/thread/15703136-lock-up-your-daughters……oscar-s-coming-home!; https://www.datalounge.com/thread/15705104-oscar-pistorius-release-aug-21; https://www.datalounge.com/thread/15938268-oscar-pistorius-out!; https://www.datalounge.com/thread/16135391-oscar-pistorius-murderer (accessed 21 March 2016).
17. See https://www.datalounge.com/thread/15934054-the-debatable-hotness-of-hate-fucking (accessed 21 March 2016).
18. See https://www.datalounge.com/thread/12474066-when-oscar-pistorius-has-sex (accessed 22 March 2016).
19. See https://www.datalounge.com/thread/13759434-i-find-oscar-pistorius-really-hot (accessed 22 March 2016).
20. See https://www.datalounge.com/thread/14379488-would-you-fuck-oscar-pistorius- (accessed 22 March 2016).
21. For example, reports on the muscle recovery remedy (and ‘sexual stimulant’) ‘Testis Compositum’ found in Pistorius’s bedroom. See http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2285460/Oscar-Pistorius-Substance-Oscar-Pistorius-bedroom-shooting-herbal-remedy-Testis-compositum-used-muscle-recovery.html (accessed 31 March 2016).
22. See http://www.justusboys.com/forum/threads/397221-WTF-wow-Olympic-athlete-Oscar-Pistorius-arrested-on-suspicion-of-murder (accessed 31 March 2016).
23. See http://www.justusboys.com/forum/threads/397227-Oscar-Pistorius-merged (accessed 31 March 2016).
24. See http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-26479607 (accessed 31 March 2016).
25. Pistorius as embodying ‘inspiration porn’ is most evident in a JustUsBoys thread that discusses Pistorius in relation to an attraction for physical handicaps. See http://www.justusboys.com/forum/threads/406975-Is-it-weird-that-I-m-attracted-to-some-physical-handicaps (accessed 31 March 2016).
26. The same prison rape scenario is also discussed in a more recent JustUsBoys thread, in which R4 writes: ‘Without his blades, Pistorius is the perfect height for blow job patrols. Whatever he gets, he deserves.’ See http://www.justusboys.com/forum/threads/429029-This-prison-must-be-bad (accessed 31 March 2016).