Gay men's experiences of masculinity and anal intercourse

385 Pages·2017·3.59 MB·English

by  Chris Keene

A University of Sussex PhD thesis 
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Gay masculinities:
A mixed methods study of the implications of
hegemonic and alternative masculinities
for gay men

James Peter Ravenhill

Thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy
School of Psychology
University of Sussex
September 2017
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Statement:
I hereby declare that this thesis has not been and will not be submitted in whole or in
part to another University for the award of any other degree.

James P Ravenhill
15th September 2017

Declaration:
The thesis conforms to a paper-style thesis. Chapters three to seven inclusive are
discrete articles written in a style that is appropriate for publication in peer-reviewed
journals in the field. Chapters one, two and eight present discussions of the extant
literature and of the research undertaken.
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Acknowledgements
Thank you Dr Richard de Visser for all the advice and support you provided as I
produced the work for this dissertation. Thank you for believing in the research from the
start, for being a stickler for accuracy, for having high expectations, for making me a
better writer and a better researcher, for returning my work quickly, for making me feel
comfortable with talking about gay stuff, for never judging, for making me laugh, for
laughing with me, for pub-quizzing, for book tips, for fantastic mackerel, for being the
best Supervisor anyone could hope for.

Thank you to Shelley at the Doctoral School for being a huge help, particularly with
sorting out finances for conferences.

Thank you to the people who took part in my studies, particularly the gay men who
spoke with such candour about their experiences.

To my friends at the University of Sussex – Ange, Scarlett, Yas, Lancs, Jess, Zoe,
Gemma, Ellen, Olaya, Pedro, Aaron, Pete, Tomo, and many others. Thank you for the
coffee breaks, the lunches and the drinking sessions. I hope we can continue to enjoy
them from time to time.

To my lovely office mates – Cassie, Vlad, Sheng and Vasiliki – you helped me to keep
the perfect balance between work and play, and you always let me use which ever
obscene words I chose when the IT failed.

Thanks to Liam and Lily for the enthusiasm they showed towards my research.

Thanks to Helen, a wonderful friend and the best teacher I know, for her unwavering
support for my research and my teaching.
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Thanks to Richard for loving drag shows, late 90s pop, and 4% beer as much as I do.
You make my weekends and you’ll always be my best friend.

Thanks to Irish for late night DTMs, early morning markets, for Steps, for ABBA, and
for always showing me that I am loved.

Thanks to Aidan, for being so inspiring. You’re a wonderful friend.

Thank you to my other fabulous friends (in no order of appreciation): Matt, for being
consistently wonderful, for shirtless dancing with me with zero shame, and for never
being “sterile and dull”; Mikel, for having better English than me, for always showing
me a great time in Brussels, for making me feel better when I’m blue, and for making
languages my safe place; Rearna and Harvey, for all the beautiful dinners, the fabulous
holidays, and the non-stop laughter – you guys are the best; Pat, gracias por las tortillas,
la alegría, la amistad; Annemarie, for always making me feel better when it was going
badly – you are a superstar; Kitty, for being a crazy Kitty Kat and an excellent hiking
buddy; Sanela, for valuing education more than anyone I know – I’ve learned a lot from
you; Colm, for contacting me with supportive messages throughout; Fran, for
understanding how important this “essay” was to me; Joe, for being the only man I
know who is fabulous on Malibu; and The Squirrels, for the parties, the gin and of
course, for Christmas Piano Bingo.

To my dad, Jim – without your help, I’d be living in a box under the Pier, so thank you.

To my mum, Sally – thanks for being so interested in my research, for the amazing trips
we’ve taken, for the late night chats, and for being an all-round brilliant mum.
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To my lovely sister, Jo – you always kept up with what I was doing, even though you
had so much on yourself. Thank you, I am so lucky to have you.

Finally, to my wonderful and superhot boyfriend, Jimmy – you’ve put up with a lot, and
have always been right beside me. I would be lost without you.
Thank you JP, I love you very much.
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Dissertation summary
Contemporary theories of gender conceptualise masculinity as a socially
constructed, pluralistic and action-oriented entity. Hegemonic masculinity is the
dominant masculinity discourse in many Anglophone societies. Heterosexuality is the
bedrock of hegemonic masculinity, and heterosexual expressions of masculinity are
more socially desirable than gay masculinities. Although gay men are unable to embody
hegemonic masculinity, prior research suggests that their behaviour may nevertheless be
guided by its mandates. This may include gay men’s sexual positioning behaviour in
anal intercourse – previous research has demonstrated that gay sexual positions are
steeped in gender role stereotypes. The mixed-methods programme of studies presented
in this dissertation provides a greater understanding of the components of “gay
masculinities”, and how positioning in relation to masculinity discourses is associated
with how gay men experience their masculinity, including in anal intercourse.
A discursive qualitative approach used in Study 1 identified how gay men could
“compensate” for their homosexuality by displaying attributes associated with
hegemonic masculinity (e.g., muscularity). It was also found that gay masculinities were
notable for their diversity (Chapter 3). Using quantitative methods, Study 2
demonstrated that gay men who are anally-insertive in anal intercourse were perceived
as more masculine than those who are receptive, although muscularity and a deep voice
were more strongly associated with perceptions of gay men’s masculinity than sexual
positioning (Chapter 4). In Study 3, an experiential qualitative approach identified how
gay men’s beliefs about masculinity were associated with their gendered perceptions
and experiences of anal intercourse (Chapter 5). Insight was also provided into the range
of beliefs that gay men have about masculinity, and how these beliefs are related to how
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gay men negotiate their masculine and gay identities against the dominance of the
hegemonic masculinity discourse (Chapters 6 and 7).
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Contents
Chapter 1 – Introduction 1
1-A A background to the studies presented in this dissertation 1
1-A-1 An introduction to this programme of studies 1
1-A-2 The history of masculinity studies 2
1-A-3 The study of masculinity and male homosexuality 4
1-B Theories of masculinity 6
1-B-1 Hegemonic masculinity theory 6
1-B-1-1 Common critiques of hegemonic masculinity theory 8
1-B-2 Hegemonic masculinity and homosexuality 9
1-B-3 Hybridised and inclusive masculinities 12
1-C Constructing a masculine identity 17
1-C-1 Masculine identity and behavioural practices 17
1-C-2 Masculinity as symbolic capital 22
1-C-3 The construction of gay masculine identities 23
1-C-3-1 Young gay men and the formation of gay identities 25
1-C-3-2 Gay men and femininity 28
1-C-3-3 Masculine identity and gay men’s bodies 33
1-C-3-4 Masculinity and anal intercourse 37
1-D Dissertation outline 40
Chapter 2 – Methods 43
2-A Introduction 43
2-B Study 1 – An exploratory study using Foucaultian Discourse Analysis 43
2-B-1 Research questions 43
2-B-2 Introduction: The turn to discourse 43
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2-B-3 Possible approaches to addressing research questions 44
2-B-3-1 Conversation analysis 44
2-B-3-2 Discursive psychology 45
2-B-3-3 Foucaultian Discourse Analysis (FDA) 46
2-B-4 Data collection: Group discussions 48
2-C Study 2 – A cross-sectional quantitative survey 49
2-C-1 Introduction 49
2-C-2 Rationale for method 50
2-C-3 Data analysis 52
2-D Study 3 – An experiential study using Interpretative Phenomenological
Analysis (IPA) 53
2-D-1 Research questions 53
2-D-2 Possible approaches to addressing research questions 53
2-D-2-1 Grounded Theory 53
2-D-2-2 Narrative Analysis 55
2-D-2-3 IPA 56
2-D-3 Data collection: Semi-structured interviews 61
2-E Mixed methods research 62
2-E-1 Introduction 62
2-E-2 Mixed methods in this dissertation 65
2-F Quality in qualitative research 67
2-F-1 Criteria for assessing quality 67
2-F-2 Quality in Studies 1 and 3 68
2-F-2-1 Sensitivity to context 68
2-F-2-2 Commitment and rigour 69