PLAYING IT STRAIGHT - MASCULINITIES, HOMOPHOBIAS AND SCHOOLING

The paper looks at the ways homophobias are expressed by young men in school. We focus on the verbal and physical manifestation of these dis plays to question the relation this has to the formation of heterosexu al masculinities. Our analysis suggests male identities are being work ed out at a performative level where homophobic practices are fused wi th the struggle for a particular masculinity. Such investments illustr ate why homophobic practices are fused with the struggle for a particu lar masculinity. Such investments illustrate why homophobia is so diff icult to challenge within male peer group. Throughout the research sev eral questions arose: Why is homophobia rife within the cultures of yo ung men? How are these views expressed in school? What functions does homophobia serve for pupil cultures and schooling? To begin to interpr et some of these questions we adopt an ethnographic approach that reve als the internal dimensions of homophobic performances. Our work focus es on the complex inter relationships of masculinity, homophobia and s chooling.