‘If a Muslim says homo, nothing gets done’: Racist discourse and homonormativity in an LGBT youth group Lucy Jones IGALA8, June 2014

Identity construction ‘In-group’ and ‘out-group’ identity construction – Oppositional identity construction Sociocultural linguistics (Bucholtz and Hall 2005) – Construction of out-group facilitated by broader cultural discourses and ideologies – Stance (Jaffe 2009) Speakers position themselves in response to concepts, ideals, social groups, personas, etc

Ethnographic context Population 100,000 – On the outskirts of a large, Northern English city Working-class town with moderate social deprivation 94% white; majority of minority ethnic population of Indian, Pakistani or Bangladeshi descent

Ethnographic context LGBT youth group – Meet once a week for three hours Safe space Paige15, white cis lesbian girl Ryan16, white cis gay boy Emma16, white cis lesbian girl Kyle18, white trans straight man Josh22, white cis gay man

Ethnographic context Concern to be ‘normal’ – “I’m normal…the same as everybody else” (Paige) – “Being gay does not define me” (Ryan) Homonormativity (Duggan 2002) – Conflicts with previous language and sexuality research (e.g. Barrett 1998, Jones 2012, Queen 2005, Morrish & Sauntson 2007)

Constructing a ‘normal’ identity Othering people of South Asian descent – Themselves as comparatively more authentic

Asians = other/homophobic Yeah like I went in the changing room and there’d be a few Asian girls and a few other British girls who would give me some real dirty looks. (Emma)

Asians = other/homophobic Yeah like I went in the changing room and there’d be a few Asian girls and a few other British girls who would give me some real dirty looks. (Emma)

Asians = other/homophobic I’ve not come across one Asian – well, I have tell a lie - but I did not come across one Asian in my school that did not give me abuse for being gay. Half-Asians, correct, they were nice to me, ‘cause they don’t strictly follow their religion. (Ryan)

Asians = other/homophobic I’ve not come across one Asian – well, I have tell a lie - but I did not come across one Asian in my school that did not give me abuse for being gay. Half-Asians, correct, they were nice to me, ‘cause they don’t strictly follow their religion. (Ryan)

Asians = other/homophobic The thing that I think with religion and different people coming over from different countries and making it the way that it is, is if they want to follow their religion that’s fine but they need to adhere by our culture and if gays are allowed in this country then they shouldn’t say anything about it. (Josh)

Asians = other/homophobic The thing that I think with religion and different people coming over from different countries and making it the way that it is, is if they want to follow their religion that’s fine but they need to adhere by our culture and if gays are allowed in this country then they shouldn’t say anything about it. (Josh)

Asians as ‘other’ Muslims as fundamentally different and ‘other’ due to ‘war against terror’ (Puar 2007) British National Party (BNP) – Asian people are a threat to Western culture

Asians as homophobic English Defence League (EDL) links with anti- homophobia protests (Haritaworn 2012)

Binary opposition: racism/homophobia If I walked up to an Asian person and said ‘you Paki’, right, I would probably get arrested. Then if me and Josh had fell out I said ‘you fucking faggot’ I’d get told off and that were it. It’s apparently on the same borderline but it’s not tret that way. (Ryan)

Binary opposition: racism/homophobia If I walked up to an Asian person and said ‘you Paki’, right, I would probably get arrested. Then if me and Josh had fell out I said ‘you fucking faggot’ I’d get told off and that were it. It’s apparently on the same borderline but it’s not tret that way. (Ryan)

Binary opposition: racism/homophobia If you actually went up to a Muslim person and actually said Paki you’d get into trouble straight away but if it were a Muslim to a gay person and says homo nothing gets done. (Kyle)

Binary opposition: racism/homophobia If you actually went up to a Muslim person and actually said Paki you’d get into trouble straight away but if it were a Muslim to a gay person and says homo nothing gets done. (Kyle)

Oppositional identity construction Out-group In-group Asian/Muslim British/LGBT Only when identities are in opposition to something else do they tend to have meaning (Baker 2008: 121) Othering: negative identity practice (Bucholtz 1999) – Out-group = the homophobic Muslim

Homonationalism “the emergence of national homosexuality” and global dominance of whiteness (Puar 2007) – One may be Muslim or gay, but never both (El- Tayeb 2012) – ‘State-sanctioned’ queer persona (Johnson and Henderson 2005) – ‘Ideal queer citizen’ (Agathangelou et al 2008)

Summary Oppositional identity construction – Contrasted with ideological category of ‘homophobic Muslim’ LGBT youth comparatively more ‘normal’ – Legitimate citizens Sociocultural linguistics – Social positioning of the self and other

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‘If a Muslim says homo, nothing gets done’: Racist discourse and homonationalism in an LGBT youth group IGALA8, June