Between performance and fragility: Constructions of masculinity in high school boys’ discourses on gender
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.26443/mje/rsem.v58i1.10129Keywords:
cisgender fragility, gender diversity, discourses, male high school students, hegemonic masculinity, performative transphobia, Sophie LabelleAbstract
This article presents the results of a qualitative case study of high school boys’ perceptions of gender diversity. Data were collected by means of a questionnaire, audio recordings of discussions of two comics by trans writer Sophie Labelle, reflective journals, and semi-structured individual interviews. Three findings emerged from the data analysis: (1) support for biological and binary conceptions of gender; (2) cisgender fragility, that is, defensiveness when cisgender worldviews are challenged; and (3) the social performance of transphobia as a means of constructing hegemonic masculinity. We conclude with a discussion of the findings and their pedagogical implications.
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