Not Gay

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Not Gay: Sex Between Straight White Men
Not Gay.jpg
AuthorJane Ward
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SubjectHomosexuality
Published2015
ISBN978-1-4798-2517-2 (Paperback)
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Not Gay: Sex Between Straight White Men is a 2015 book by Jane Ward, in which the author details the phenomenon of straight men seeking out sex with other straight men despite not identifying as gay, bisexual, or bi-curious.[1][2]

Themes[]

Ward discusses hazing traditions, such as the "elephant walk" (in which each man has one hand on the penis of the man behind him and the other hand inserted into the anus of the man in front) and the circle jerk as examples of sexual contact between heterosexual men. She also discusses male-male sexual activities in prisons and the military.[1][3][4] The book features excerpts from Craigslist personal ads, and discusses a number of reasons why straight men might seek out sex with other men, such as fear of being rejected by women, or finding women's bodies gross.[4]

The term "bro-job" (analogous to bromance and a play on blowjob) refers to a sexual encounter between two straight men who are often close friends. Ward expresses the view that "bro-jobs" are not an indication that a man is actually gay, but rather a means for straight men to explore their own sexual identity.[5] Despite having been credited with coining the term bro-job, Ward clarified:

"I do describe in the book what could arguably be called bro-jobs, but I never once use that word. ...It's sort of like a game of telephone, four blogs down the line I'm reading stuff that says 'Jane Ward has written an entire book about bro-jobs.' I just had to laugh."[6]

Awards[]

Not Gay was a 2016 Lambda Literary Award finalist.[7]

Response[]

Rob Redding's book The Professor: Witnessing White Power uses empiricism to surmise that sleeping with white men – either straight or gay – gave some of the most prominent black men of the 20th century like James Baldwin, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Marvin Gaye and Richard Pryor a fearlessness when dealing with racist whites. Redding, who is black, utilizes a mix of communication theories like proxemics, kinesics and haptics, along with analysis of Jane Ward's book as a case study to explore how interracial relationships between men can be transformative for the black community. He states: "Ward, who is a lesbian, writes about power exchanges between white men. The Professor explores how gay interracial relationships and encounters may have empirically had an impact on the black community."[8]

See also[]

References[]

  1. ^ a b Ryan, Hugh (2015-08-09). "How to Have Gay Sex Without Being Gay".
  2. ^ Savage, Dan (2015-07-27). "Not Gay Men Who Have Not Gay Sex with Other Not Gay Men".
  3. ^ Cook, Bob. "'Not Gay' -- A Book With An Intriguing Theory On Male School Sports Hazing". Forbes. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  4. ^ a b "Why Straight Men Have Sex With Each Other". The Cut. Aug 5, 2015. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  5. ^ Mosthof, Mariella. "Can Dudes Who Give "Bro-Jobs" Still Be Straight?". Bustle. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  6. ^ ""Bro-Jobs" Author Talks Straight Man-On-Man Sex And "Repressed Homosexual Desire"". Queerty. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  7. ^ "28th Annual Lambda Literary Award Finalists Announced". Lambda Literary. Retrieved 2016-03-10.
  8. ^ Dianne, Mitchell, Michael (2019). "Rob Redding's book 'The Professor' hits No. 1".
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