Black Male Queerness and the Poetic Performance of Survival
Date of Award
5-5-2024
Degree Name
M.A. in English
Department
Department of English
Advisor/Chair
David Fine
Abstract
This paper analyzes the manner in which poetry written by Black queer-identifying men portrays gender, sexuality, and masculinity. Black queer men were and continue to be one of the groups most affected by social and cultural scrutiny. The poetry produced by queer black men tells of the intersecting ideals of racism, expectations of masculinity, and the homophobia that directly impacts the ways in which Black queer men exist in any space. I believe this poetry allows for insight into safety and agency. Throughout my research of the poetry chosen, it became obvious to me that forcing gendered ideals onto these Black men requires assimilation and controlled conformity, emphasizing that intersectional bonds cannot be ignored. I argue that if queer Black men are to exist, they must be stereotypically “queer” in the way that the poems have depicted; within the poetry I have analyzed, they must feed into stereotypes, hide their queerness, or they must escape the bonds of heteronormative expectations. The poetry depicts their sexuality and gender as a performance, a dance of survival Black queer men must practice and execute regularly in order to be visible in both racial and queer society. The performance of stereotypical queerness expressed within the poetry of Black queer male poets exemplifies the way in which queerness enables modes of survival.
Keywords
Poetry, sexuality, gender, race, heteronormative, performance, masculinity, patriarchy, survival
Rights Statement
Copyright 2024, author
Recommended Citation
Knight, Ophelia Danielle, "Black Male Queerness and the Poetic Performance of Survival" (2024). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. 7591.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/graduate_theses/7591
