Tacit Subjects

Making masculinity: Negotiations of gender presentation among Latino gay men

“…This included not bringing feminine men, especially partners, to such events. As was the case among previous studies of Latino gay men (Decena, 2008), some men said their sexuality was tacit knowledge. In this respect, choosing masculine partners helped make their sexuality less of a conversation piece among relatives.…”

“…For example, Carter (2005) revealed that working-class minorities possess "non-dominant" forms of cultural capital that they use to mediate the distribution of social status in their neighborhoods. When excluded from dominant forms of power and economic capital, which is the case for many gay racial minorities (Cantú , 1999;Moore, 2006;Decena, 2008), individuals may construct new sites of power relations in which they implement a cultural value system that adapts to their unique needs and resources, spaces that Bourdieu (1996) has termed as "fields." For example, Reich (2010) demonstrates that masculinity functions as an important form of capital among low-income men of color, a demographic that lacks both economic and racial privilege.…”

“…In addition, most gay people of color revolve their lives around their ethnic and racial communities, not mainstream gay communities (Cantú et al, 2009;Moore, 2010). Third, although coming out of the closet is the idealized choice among White, middleclass gays, it is not always the norm for gay people of color (Manalansan, 2000;Decena, 2008;Moore, 2010). Compared with middle-class White gays, gay minorities tend to be more dependent on social, emotional, cultural and economic support from their ethnic/racial communities, which outweighs the benefits of joining mainstream gay social circles, which some find to be racist and classist (Díaz, 1997;Cantú , 1999;Guzmá n, 2006;Cantú et al, 2009;Moore, 2010).…”

“…For example, in both the United States and Latin America, Latino gay men who are breadwinners or are financially independent feel the freedom to disclose their sexuality and bring partners to family functions (Carrillo, 1999). In contrast, Latino gay men who lack economic resources may feel the need to keep their sexuality hidden or "tacit" (understood, but not discussed) because they do not want to compromise the social and financial support that they receive from family members (Decena, 2008). Moreover, finding alternative support among mainstream White gays may not be possible because socioeconomic, racial or linguistic barriers may isolate them from mainstream gay communities (Cantú et al, 2009).…”

“…What is common among these different social constructions are the methods by which Latino gay men "do" masculinity. These men perform masculinity through presentation of self, social distancing from femininity and the desiring of a masculine partner, however masculinity may be constructed (Cantú , 1999;Carrillo, 1999;Rodríguez, 2006;Almaguer, 2007;Decena, 2008). In these respects, while the negotiation of gender presentation of Latino gay men is distinct, in some ways the process of doing gender overlaps with those of heterosexual White men, gay White men and heterosexual men of color.…”