Internalizing Punishment and Euphoria Related to Queer Identity

In this paper, I introduce the concept of gender performance in Youtube documentaries about and personal Youtube videos by Russian people who are transgender. I define indexicality and tactics of intersubjectivity, and discuss how these concepts function within and outside of trans communities of practice (Bucholtz and Hall, 2004; Wenger, 1998) in these videos. After connecting these concepts, I dive into language ideology and stance (Irvine and Gal, 2000; Barrett, 2014), and how they show up in the videos. Using data culled from these videos, I explore salient language ideologies regarding performance of gender by Russians who identify as trans, and how speaker stance in this data engages those ideologies. I argue that data in these videos shows that tactics of intersubjectivity extend far beyond linguistic interaction and into metaperformance of gender. When people are punished and expect to be punished through repeated instances of distinction, denaturalization, and illigitimation, they begin to subject themselves to these same patterns without an interlocutor, essentially so conditioned into hearing these responses that they reproduce them themselves. Conversely, when people expect to be affirmed through adequation, authentication, and authorization, they internalize and reproduce these affirmations. Ultimately, in Майя’s case, denaturalization from peers in her medical school community of practice (extended to self-denaturalization) and illigitimation from the state were the most common tactics of intersubjectivity reflected in her experience, whereas in Дима’s case denaturalization from their community of practice at church (again extended to self- denaturalization) was the most salient tactic of intersubjectivity reflected in their experience. However, when discussing spending time in queer communities and queer-friendly spaces where adequation, authentication and authorization were more common, people were more likely to internalize these practices. I find that though tactics of intersubjectivity are intersubjective, people may internalize and reproduce them in their thoughts about themselves.

https://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/lavlang/2021/saturday/6