Can Gays Be Manly?

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Throughout my life, I have met homosexual men who do not display stereotypical feminine, sensitive characteristics. They are highly athletic, macho, and confident – qualities that fall into our Man Box illustrated in our first class. Nevertheless, even if displaying these qualities, gay men are still deemed less masculine by straight men in our society. Although prejudice has significantly subsided in recent years, gay men are still often excluded from mainstream masculine culture. This is because after years of exclusion, our generation is now just “unlearning” internalized homophobia embedded in our beings since birth.

Gays are considered not manly because our society has always said so – not because they aren’t actually manly. In my opinion, those who actively or passively discriminate against homosexuals should be considered unmanly (since they are obviously more uncomfortable with sexuality than any gay man ever will be).