Grow the Beard, Wear the Costume

Resisting Weight and Sexual Orientation Stigmas in the Bear Subculture

Bibliographic Data

ID3636258
AuthorsPatrick Blaine Mcgrady (University of New Haven, corresponding author)
Year2016
Volume63
Issue12
Pages1698-1725
Publication date2016-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Homosexuality (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0091-8369 • E-ISSN: 1540-3602
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00918369.2016.1151695
PMID26854831
OpenAlexW2335200950
LanguageEN
Citations received12
References cited37

Being gay and being overweight are two stigmatized statuses in the United States. A range of work has considered the experience of being stigmatized and the consequences of stereotypes for overweight individuals and sexual minorities, but less research has examined the intersection of these two stigmas among larger gay men or collective efforts to resist such stigma. This study qualitatively examines a subculture of gay men, the bears, to test theoretical models of stigma resistance. The analysis demonstrates the transferability of stigma resistance among multiple stigmatized attributes and the use of multiple strategies to resist one stigma. At the same time, it shows how subcultural dynamics both aid and undermine the resistance toward stigma, and the risk of reinforcing stigma's effect through criticizing others who embody a stereotype. The results also demonstrate how resistance strategies are both empowering and psychologically taxing for stigmatized individuals

Criminology · Resistance (ecology · Sexual orientation · Sociology · Stereotype (UML · Stigma (botany · Subculture (biology · Eating Disorders and Behaviors · Gender Studies · LGBTQ Health, Identity, and Policy · Obesity and Health Practices · Psychology · Social Psychology