Suchergebnisse

A discussion of theory & practice in gay & lesbian movements in the US, focusing on the contradiction between the tenets of social constructionism -- the new orthodoxy of sexual theory -- & the practical politics of gay movements. A modified constructionist position is proposed that would allow identites such as gay & lesbian ones to be conceived of as core components of the self, without reifying those identities. The themes of identity & ethnicity are analyzed from a cultural & political perspective, exploring the historical specificity of sexual identities & of the ethnic model of gay identity; also, essentialist & constructionist understandings of identity & ethnicity in general are criticized. It is concluded that, from the standpoint of a modified constructionism, it is reasonable to accept the ethnic model -- both as a relatively accurate characterization of contemporary gay identity formation & as a politically defensible starting point from which gay movements can evolve in progressive directions. Modified AA

United States. Partial contents: The debate over causes; Child molestation; Homosexual political activism; Organized activism.