A. Zosimov
NOTES ABOUT HOMOPHOBIA
This word is not in dictionaries, and is narrow
the circle of sexual users who use it
revolutionaries. It's a pity: it's a good word.
And its meaning, like any good word,
more than value. Moreover, the speech is not
only about long-reflected
ambivalence formant phobia - fear and
hatred. The authors thought it was homophobic, and
not without reason, what if it's just
attach a phobia to homosexuality, then
hardly anyone has the patience
pronounce the resulting word to the end.
And they cut homosexuality down to two
initial syllables. There was hardly any result
realized by the inventors themselves: the word
homophobia can literally be translated as
hatred of one's own kind. Contained in
in such a translation the truth goes far beyond
the limits of the problems of the gay movement: that’s what
the essence of any xenophobia, which is
in reality this is hatred not for another,
but to something like this, or rather, painful
reluctance to recognize others as similar to oneself.
And it doesn’t matter what kind of differences there will be
in a particular case elected
pretext
Characteristic illustration. As shown
American sociologist Gregory Herek
strong rejection of male homosexuality
and homosexual men are noted much more
more often by male respondents than
women; at the same time it is generally known where
more tolerant attitude of men towards
lesbian love. According to Herek,
the reason is that rejectionhomosexuality, according to stereotypes
modern American culture, includes
an indispensable part in
self-identification of a man, and a sharp
the expression of this rejection represents
is a projection of anxiety about
own male usefulness (not
necessarily, of course, in the field
sexual practice).
Russian mass consciousness, in
essence, in many ways close to the American
(compared to, say, European). And
although similar sociological
no one conducted research in Russia about
how similar Russian homophobia is to
American, one can judge - at least by
some lovely sayings
domestic mass media (in brackets
note that mass-media is a good word,
its meaning is greater than its meaning: in it
contains the motive of the mediator function
printing; the formula is the same as the mass media
information reveals another hidden meaning:
since means means there is some kind of power,
using these tools in their
purposes...).
Here Komsomolskaya Pravda tells
about the sad fate of an orphanage boy,
hero of the documentary film. And then
... Uncle Yura (reality or the fruit of Goshina
fantasies?) starts to behave badly, and if
If Gosha obeys him, he will stop altogether
to be a man... The general idea is still the same:
male self-identification presupposes
absolutely unequivocally sexual
behavior, a step to the right, a step to the left - and you are already
not a man. But what else does it suggest?
men'sself-identification - we quote the same
article, but we’re talking about another film: And
which was... more correct and wise -
sit in the attic but survive, or
still play the role for which he
came to this earth (role of a man), and
die beautifully? That's it: not for the idea
to die, not for people, not for the Motherland - for
male self-identification. And unaware
journalist who loves real men
Sapozhnikova, what is the most terrible threat
existence of humanity, the most important
a brake on the development of civilization - this is precisely
dear to her heart, tough
determinism of thoughts and actions
a person by a set of sociocultural roles,
forcing him to be a man, a military man,
president instead of being
a person (becoming in one or another
situations in the position of a man, a military man,
president etc. and capable
reflect on this position and subject
its critical assessment). Any beauty
xenophobia is that it is predictable, and
all her arguments have long been well known.
And the formula "real man" (white,
German, Russian, respectable
citizen...) should not have anything
common with homosexuals (blacks, Jews,
Chechens, communists...). And creepy
stories about how these encroach,
naturally, primarily on children (drink
blood, sacrifice, corrupt,
recruited into underground units and gangs...).
And rumors of a branched blue
(Jewish, Chechen...) mafia, completelycontrolling entire spheres of public
life... Therefore, let's say, the appearance in
newspaper "Top Secret" articles by Aelita
Efimova "Gays, genes, chromosomes...", where, in
in particular, two
the latest ideas caused us to first
turn a reaction of touching recognition.
There are, however, cases even more
touching. They usually differ
publications with a reputation, on the contrary,
homophilous. Famous actor Evgeniy
Vesnik tells in "Moskovsky"
Komsomol member" about his teachers: How can
was it, tell me, not to fall in love with Yanshin?
Mikhail Mikhailovich said (funny
shows Yanshin): “I don’t understand three things
Why was there a revolution? How do they pass it on?
by air color? And why do men have
each other in the s...th passage?" And when
asked: “What is the most incomprehensible?”, he
answered: “First.” History indeed
funny and cute, but looks funnier than everyone else
there is a newspaper in it, delicately dotting
instead of letters in the word back. It is possible
of course, fantasize about which ones
these thoughts prompted me to take this step
unknown MK employee, but the general meaning
this technique is quite transparent: in
editors of the most free and uninhibited of
mass newspapers are afraid of homosexuality, and
mentioning her is subconscious
level - considered risky and
indecent. Why then is he not afraid?
"MK" neither Penkin and Moiseev, nor Viktyuk,
nor the Mogutin-Filippini couple?
The names of these and some others are more or lessless open gays are constantly flashing on
its pages... The mystery is small. Savoring
homosexuality, sometimes causing
exotic show business characters,
the mainstream press is pushing her out
everyday life of an ordinary person. Few
what kind of quirks do artists have - that’s why they
artists to say hello to
lead a life different from normal
people, sometimes even several
reprehensible (this is for them, the artists, in
as an exception can be forgiven).
For an ordinary person, these quirks are not
laid down, homosexuality is not for him,
like haute couture, like milk baths, like
weekend in Hawaii or the Canary Islands...
This is homophobia.
Widely represented in today's
Russian press and other techniques
repression of homosexuality. Let's say
newspaper "Arguments and Facts" loves
print tearful letters from young people,
complaining about loneliness, universal
misunderstanding and the like. There are no words
I feel sorry for the lonely, misunderstood, persecuted.
But why not the same "AiF" publish
next to it is another letter - gay, social,
psychologically, culturally adapted?
The author of this article saw with his own eyes
such letters are in the AiF mail... No. Because
that while gays are represented in the image
unhappy people who understand little in life
boys, you can feel sorry for them, you can approach them
treat yourself humanely, but at the same time you can
do not identify with them. They are people too
This is the slogan of this kind of humanists. However
this humanism is false, itdeceit - in
treacherous word too.
This is homophobia.
Publications specializing in
issues of sex, for the most part
demonstrate complete tolerance to
homosexuality and homosexuals, and this
no wonder: reader, specially
interested in sex issues, rather
everything, reads with interest about any
sexual practices, even those far from his
own. Genuine attitude
publishers, the most varied, often
can be easy to detect, but this, in
Essentially, it doesn’t matter, what’s important is something else:
homosexuality is reduced by these publications
to naked sexual practice, cultural,
psychological, moral aspects
are completely reduced. Homosexuality
is forced into some special reservation
to bed (of course, this is absurd and
attitude towards sexuality in general). How
This may not seem paradoxical to anyone, and
this is homophobia. Of course, from a pragmatic
point of view, something is better than nothing.
Anything is better (especially -
sympathetic) publicity than conspiracy
silence. Moreover, one can quite call
specific positive effects. Politics
displacement of homosexuality into art
gave rise to such a remarkable phenomenon as
TV series "Quiet House" by Sergei Sholokhov
This is not the first year that this policy has been gracefully
beating. Sex press probably
helped someone overcome their complexes,
For some, finding a partner is also a matter. And
pity, whatever you say, is better than hatred.
But howwittily remarked, paraphrasing
Latin wisdom, poet Alexey
Vernitsky, - dura cultura, sed cultura:
all the approaches described above
homosexuality is a manifestation
homophobia.
There's no point in having this conversation
only to brand someone or
another Shahidzhanyan. But problems
homosexuality and homophobia are extremely
indicative of general condition
human culture. In particular,
stands out especially clearly here
the futility of the confrontation paradigm,
based on rigid self-identifications,
on the decisive division of people into their own and
strangers Contrast between gays and straights
avant-garde and traditionalists in
art, arrowheads and
blunt ends in the field of breaking eggs, -
all these are phenomena of the same order, inhibiting
both cultural development and personal
self-realization. To see this means
take the first step towards a new
paradigm - the paradigm of self-sufficiency.
In relation to eggs this means that
they must be broken from the end from which
in this case it is more convenient; in relation to
art - what is the value of the work
determined not by belonging to one or
a different class of texts, but a complex
characteristics that form a unique
the originality of this particular work;
in relation to interpersonal relationships -
that attraction, including sexual attraction,
directed (normally) not at men at all
or women in general, not tall brunettes
or plumpblondes, but for certain
specific individuals in their entirety
and uniqueness. I would like - as the author
and to man - so that in the formation of this
paradigm and strengthening it in culture
the new magazine played its role.
1 Gregory M. Herek. On heterosexual
masculinity./ Changing Men: Studies on Man
and Masculinity. - Lnd.: 1987.
2 G. Sapozhnikova. Why make a movie?
which is watched once. // Komsomolskaya
true, 07/06/94, p.3.
3 Top Secret, N11 for 1994
4 Moskovsky Komsomolets, 07/09/94,
p.2.
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