Genealogy of the Australian Homocriminal Subject

Abstract

By conducting close readings of a wide range of texts where knowledge of homosexual deviance was constructed and deployed, this article seeks to chart how two competing models evolved to account for the emergence of the ‘homocriminal’ subject in Australia. In the first model, that of importation, ‘homocriminality’ was imagined as emanating from abroad — an exotic perversion imported from England. In contrast, a second model posited that ‘homocriminality’ was simultaneously present within Australia. Exploring these models offers a valuable insight into the ways that homosexuality was imagined as deviant, threatening and offensive prior to the advent of the decriminalisation era in Australia. Furthermore, the article highlights how the gaze of agents of the law was implicated in constructing and representing homosexual desire as disgusting and unruly, warranting ongoing surveillance and regulation by the law.