Gay Subversion: Young Men Seeking Safety in Heterotopic Spaces

Abstract

In the early years of the twenty-first century gay-themed texts with teenage protagonists are moving from being an isolated subgenre to becoming a more integrated part of this field of writing and viewing. Even though there is now more visible support for gay adolescents than previously, coming to terms with an emerging gay sexuality and deciding whether or not to declare that sexuality publicly with the inherent risk of marginalisation and loss of family and friends remains central to current gay-themed texts. For boys, the path to manhood can be a journey fraught with challenges but even more so for gay boys who must contend with the forces of ‘hegemonic’ (heterosexual) masculinities and the pressures to ‘do boy’ according to socially-sanctioned rules and norms. This article examines the ways the gay protagonists in three Young Adult novels—Leave Myself Behind by Bart Yates (2003), A Time Before Me by Michael Peronne (2005) and Sushi Central by Alasdair Duncan (2003)—and in two films— Prayers for Bobby (2009) and Geography Club (2013)—seek safety in heterotopic spaces. It is argued that heterotopias can provide safe spaces for the expression of same-sex desire among males, subverting the constraints of hegemonic masculinity and the large spatial sites in which they operate. The trope of ‘safe space’ can be used as a mechanism to segregate individuals who challenge the heterosexual/homosexual binary under the guise of providing for their safety. However, while safe spaces are mechanisms for the construction of gay identity, they can also generate homophobic retribution. Struggles for visible identities outside of safe spaces can incite violence when gay visibility threatens the normalised landscape.