The Experience of Gay Men Being Socialized Into Gay Communities

How do people learn “camp”? Why does it seem like drag shows all have the same structure? In a society where violence is still enacted against gay people, why “talk gay”? These questions, and others, led me to research how gay men in the United States experience becoming socialized into gay communities, and the role of language in that experience. Using a phenomenological methodology (specifically Heuristic Inquiry) and rooted in educational, language socialization, and linguistic theory, I engaged with participants from three local gay sports groups through semi-structured in-depth interviews, supplemented by participatory and non-participatory observations. I learned how participants engaged in "legitimate peripheral participation" practices in their community socialization processes, and highlighted shared experiences, humor, and what I describe as “gender play” as their primary language practices within those communities. There also appeared to be a connection to the acceptance (if not the personal practice) of these linguistic practices, the person’s perceived “outness”, and their own self-reported connection (or lack thereof) to the “gay community”.

https://digitalcommons.ciis.edu/lavlang/2021/sunday/11