The Everyday Lives of Gay Men : Autoethnographies of the Ordinary

The Everyday Lives of Gay Men draws on the expertise of 12 contributors from different countries and fields, writing from an autoethnographic first-person approach. Putting the power of personal stories at the centre of the construction of sophisticated narratives of gay men's lives, the accounts draw attention to the limits of traditional perspectives to gay men's studies that look at gayness through a sexualised lens and explore how gay men make sense of their identity in their everyday lives. Together they present a complex, nuanced understanding of gayness and challenge the conception of 'being gay' as a sexual orientation because it describes in sexual terms an identity that is not only, not always, and not predominantly sexual. The authors come from a variety of fields, including counselling studies and sociology, to communication, religion, and education. The innovative approach of The Everyday Lives of Gay Men makes it ideal for students and scholars in gender studies, sexuality studies, sociology, mental health, and research methods. The Open Access version of this book, available at www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9780367676834, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license. The Everyday Lives of Gay Men draws on the expertise of twelve contributors from different countries and fields, writing from an autoethnographic first person approach. Cover 1 Half Title 2 Series Page 3 Title Page 4 Copyright Page 5 Dedication 6 Table of Contents 8 Contributors 10 Foreword: Transforming everyday gay life 13 What is conjured when we talk about the everyday lives of gay men? 22 Chapter 1 17 Times a day I think about being gay 38 Chapter 2 Shower thoughts – of loss and queer love 51 Chapter 3 Christmases past and present: A Phet tee saam lamb’s search for their flock 60 Chapter 4 Sunday: An intimate self-dialogue about loneliness 71 Chapter 5 On (not) living past 30 79 Chapter 6 Going back to the glory hole: An (extra)ordinary story of meeting shame, doubt, and arousal in the therapy room 90 Chapter 7 Becoming (in)visible: A performative autoethnography on mental health, help-seeking, and missing connections 100 Chapter 8 Lack of ordinary privileges in a gay man’s life: Navigating through privileged systems 113 Chapter 9 I dreamt of a stranger 124 Chapter 10 Testing proximity and intimacy: An everyday reappropriation of private and public space 134 Chapter 11 In my Latinx gay shoes: Work, discrimination, immigration, and polyamory 144 Chapter 12 Planetary times and queer times: A critical planetary romanticism for the earth 154 Chapter 13 Notes on the contributors’ experiences: Insights into autoethnographic research 168 Chapter 14 Conclusion 187 Index 194 gay;,studies;,lives;,everyday;,sociology;,gayness;,religion;,gender,studies;,sexuality,studies;,mental,health;,research,methods gay,studies,lives,everyday,sociology,gayness,religion,gender studies,sexuality studies,mental health,research methods "The Everyday Lives of Gay Men draws on the expertise of twelve contributors from different countries and fields, writing from an autoethnographic first person approach. Putting the power of personal stories at the centre of the construction of sophisticated narratives of gay men's lives, the accounts draw attention to the limits of traditional perspectives to gay men's studies that look at gayness through a sexualised lens and explore how gay men make sense of their identity in their everyday lives. Together they present a complex, nuanced understanding of gayness and challenge the conception of 'being gay' as a sexual orientation because it describes in sexual terms an identity that is not only, not always, and not predominantly sexual. The authors come from a variety of fields, including counselling studies and sociology, to communication, religion, and education. The innovative approach of The Everyday Lives of Gay Men makes it ideal for students and Scholars in Gender Studies, Sexuality Studies, Sociology, Mental Health, and Research Methods"-- Provided by publisher