According to Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick’s “Epistemology of the Closet,”
homophobia is essential for our current patriarchal structure. This has more do
with human relationships than who you date. She argues that this fear puts
tight reins on homosocial, or non-sexual relationships. Where women may have the
permission of society to show affection for each other in public (e.g. they’re
invited to lady society tea parties, go to baby showers), men are generally not
given these choices. Men’s events seem to run on a continuum, from gay to let’s
watch the Super Bowl while slamming beers and chest-bumping. The evidence may
be anecdotal, but ask your typical guy what high school was like and if his
friends thought the best activities for guys included poetry, drama club and
ballet.
That would be a no.
These biases play out in fantasy movies. Homosocial relationships between women seem to be
sympathetic, while relationships between men are built upon hierarchical power
structures. Consider the relationship Tristan has with males in Stardust, they are typically father
figures or competition.. Harry Potter
might be the closest fantasy writers have gotten to creating more egalitarian
male power relationships. However, might this be seen as the inscription of
female homosocial relationships for boys?
"A warmth was spreading through him that had nothing to do with the
sunlight; a tight obstruction in his chest seemed to be dissolving. He knew
that Ron and Hermione were more shocked than they were letting on, but the mere
fact that they were still there on either side of him, speaking bracing words
of comfort, not shrinking from him as though he were contaminated or dangerous,
was worth more than he could ever tell them." –J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince
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