In the article Trading on Heterosexuality: College Women’s Gender Strategies and Homophobia, Laura Hamilton uncovers the uncomfortably accurate realities of homophobia among those who identify as female. Her study of literature shows that although women, in general, tend to have a more positive attitude towards homosexuality, it is possible that women’s homophobia is simply overlooked in the broad overview of homophobia as an issue in today’s society. Generally, heterosexual women use less aggressive forms of homophobia, engaging in social distancing to separate themselves from those “others” who identify as homosexual (Hamilton, 2007). Specifically, Hamilton introduces that homophobia among women is the sum product of gender inequality and heteronormativity. Her “analysis suggest that homophobia among women (hetero-sexism) is tightly linked to gender inequality (sexism)” (Hamilton, p. 168).
Branching from this destructive equation of homophobia, I was reminded of activist and YouTube sensation Laci Green who has continuously used her quirky personality and social influence to spark dialogue about a variety of social issues. In particular, Laci has broken down constructs of gender, gender stereotypes, and heteronormative expectations attached to femininity and masculinity. For the purpose of this blog, I have included a mash-up of her work that directly communicates with Hamilton’s research on how homophobia is developed and perpetuated by women.
https://youtu.be/d0qPkepSArw
In this mashup of Laci’s work, she rants about the constant pressure being placed on women to look, act, think, present, etc. in ways that are consistent with socially constructed norms. This pressure, Laci explains, unfortunately causes women to become overly critical of one another rather than supportive of one another in working breaking the mold. This judgemental culture perpetuates the realities of gender inequality and heteronormativity, thus creating an environment that is highly susceptible to homophobia among women when alternative presentations of femininity are introduced. Pulling an example from current cultural events, Hamilton’s destructive equation is prominent in the current Presidential election. Think about all of the backlash candidate Hillary Clinton has received, from men and women alike, about her gender presentation. She is either “too masculine” and therefore opens herself to critics who slander her leadership capability with homophobic stereotypes. Homophobic slurs surrounding Hillary’s appearance are so clearly instigated by society’s construction of heteronormativity, and her unequal playing field as the first female gendered Presidential candidate
Reference:
Gender & Communication- Laci Green Mashup. Retrieved from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d0qPkepSArw&feature=youtu.be
Hamilton, L. (2007). Trading on heterosexuality: College women’s gender strategies and homophobia. Gender and Society, 21(2), 145-172.Retrieved from: http://gas.sagepub.com/content/21/2/145.full.pdf
Gabbing with Gabby 
Gabby,
I had to read this blog a few times before I was able to get the gist of what you were saying. Although you open a great discussion on homophobia and women, I had a little trouble with the last two sentences in the final paragraph. At the beginning you examined the homophobia which is interesting considering the reality that women don’t seem to be as threatened or uncomfortable as men. The closing statement in the paragraph was powerful in how Hamilton (2007) linked homophobia among women to gender inequality. Your transition of using Laci Green as a way to counteract this construction was great, but things got a little hazy for me in the third paragraph. I was little stuck, when you said, “She is either “too masculine” and therefore opens herself to critics who slander her leadership capability with homophobic stereotypes. Homophobic slurs surrounding Hillary’s appearance are so clearly instigated by society’s construction of heteronormativity, and her unequal playing field as the first female gendered Presidential candidate”. The points you made in this blog are well on point. I would just tighten up these last two sentences to bring it all home in a tighter fashion and you’re good to go.
~Myron
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