No Homo: Gendered Dimensions of Homophobic Epithets Online

Abstract

We examine a case of homophobic language online, specifically the deployment of the phrase "no homo," shorthand for "I'm not a homosexual." An analysis of 396 instances (comprising 1061 individual tweets) of the use of the phrase "no homo" on the social media platform Twitter suggests that the phrase is a gendered epithet that conveys cultural norms about masculinity. The first finding is that the phrase is used more often by male tweeters than by female tweeters. The second, as predicted by the literature on homophobia, is that the phrase is used in a negative emotional context to convey disapproval for men's homosexuality or behavior that is not gender normative. The third finding is that the modal use of the phrase "no homo" is in a positive emotional context, accompanying expressions of men's pleasure, desire, affection, attachment, and friendship. Our analysis suggests that the phrase "no homo" is a gendered one, primarily used by men to facilitate a particularly masculinized construction of positive emotional expression. Our research adds to and complicates findings on the relationship between homophobia and masculinity that suggests that homophobia is an organizing principal of masculinity in western cultures. KeywordsHomophobia Emotion Men Masculinity 1 2 1 2 5/2/2018 e.Proofing

On the enduring relationship between masculinity and homophobia

“…Diefendorf, 2018; Ezren, 2006), workplaces (e.g. Barber, 2016; Paap, 2006), in online interactions (Pascoe and Diefendorf, 2019) and beyond.…”

“…Homophobia is a commonly utilized term among scholars. But other scholars have echoed Pascoe’s concern, suggesting that this is the wrong language to be using to describe what we are attempting to study (see Pascoe and Diefendorf, 2019 for a recent example). Like “homosexuality,” “homophobia” emerged among psychologists as a kind of medical diagnosis initially.…”

Sexist Slurs: Reinforcing Feminine Stereotypes Online

“…We find support for our theoretical arguments that norm enhancement and status processes contribute to cyber aggression within social media. Negative online communication in our Twitter data tends to reinforce existing social norms of femininity, not unlike findings of gendered norm enforcement in other genres of online interaction (Pascoe and Diefendorf 2019;Wilhelm and Joeckel 2019) and in schools (Felmlee and Faris 2016). The spread of derogatory tweets within networks of Twitter conversations, furthermore, suggests that enhancing one's status among one's peers constitutes another likely motivation behind damaging electronic communication toward women.…”

“…The first mechanism refers to the regulation of gender norms whereby demeaning online messages highlight the social expectations, or norms, that surround gendered behavior and reinforce traditional stereotypes. This type of gender norm enforcement is evident in multiple types of online discussions, such as those involving homophobic epithets (Pascoe and Diefendorf 2019) and hate speech (Wilhelm and Joeckel 2019). In addition, lesbian, gay, bisexual, intersex, transsexual, and others with non-traditional sexual and/or gender identities tend to be attacked online at a much higher rate (two to four times higher) than their heterosexual counterparts (Felmlee and Faris 2016;Hinduja and Patchin 2010;Schneider et al 2012).…”

On the Enduring Relationship between Masculinity and Homophobia

“…g., Mac an Gháill 1994;Nayak and Kehily 1996;Pascoe 2007;Connell 2014), families (e.g.,Averett 2016;Bucher 2014;Kane 2006Kane , 2012, religious communities (e.g.,Diefendorf 2018, Ezren 2006, workplaces (e.g.,Barber 2016;Paap 2006), in online interactions(Pascoe and Diefendorf 2018) and beyond. Qualitative researchwith very few exceptionscontinues to document enactments of homophobia among boys and men.…”