Post-gay identities: narrative analysis of homomasculinity among gay and queer men in Aotearoa New Zealand

ABSTRACT

The development of queer theory in gender studies has provided multiple possibilities to investigate different aspects of gender construction and performance among people who identify as different from the dominant heterosexual norm. This narrative inquiry examines the identities of gay and queer men in Aotearoa New Zealand, as narrated in semi-structured interviews, with most of them recorded via virtual interactions during the COVID-19 lockdown in March-April of 2020. Narrative analysis of the participants’ stories focuses on how gay and queer individuals navigate their lives as non-normative men who are Othered by traditional, hegemonic and hierarchical masculinity. This research explores how these narratives of post-gay identities contest and move beyond heteronormativity, striving for a liberated presentation of individual self where sexuality is no longer a defining characteristic but one of many on a spectrum.

KEYWORDS:

• Homohierarchy
• post-gay identities
• homomasculinity
• Takatāpui Māori identities
• queer theory
• narrative inquiry

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1. Takatāpui is a Māori term that describes same sex attraction, and it refers to men, women and transgender people. Takatāpui has emerged as increasingly popular since the 1980s in Aotearoa New Zealand. It incorporates ‘a sense of indigenous identity as well as communicating a sexual and gender orientation’ (Murray, 2003, p. 10).