Not Gay by Jane Ward; New York University Press, $25
Highly controversial and heavily publicized, Not Gay, an insightful treatise on the nature of heterosexual male interaction with other men, addresses many of the stereotypes and assumptions associated with straight and gay men. The book also skillfully analyzes the often fluid nature of sexuality, race, privilege, and the taboo crossover behavior between sexually active men of opposing preferences.
While author Jane Ward, an associate professor of women's studies at the University of California, Riverside, remarks that "this book unfolded with ease, urgency, and clarity," her study takes up the homoerotic, sexually charged hazing rituals of college fraternities, the machinations behind casual sex, and the true meanings behind "heteroflexibility." She presents puzzling questions to ponder as well, such as, "Is it possible that straight white men would really be nowhere without the opportunity for intimate contact with one another's anuses?"
Suggesting that "homosexuality is an often invisible but nonetheless vital ingredient – a constitutive element – of heterosexual masculinity" is powerful enough to provoke intelligent and thought-provoking discussion, and proves a gateway statement for Ward to fully explore the nature of "masculinity and whiteness." First she engages with the history of homosexual sex between straight men, and probes further into notions and episodes of random same-sex erotic encounters.
"Whether a man thinks of himself and his homosexual behavior as 'gay' or 'straight' makes all the difference," Ward opines, "with regard to how he will make sexual contact with men: how he will set the scene, the narratives he will use to describe what is happening and why, the time and place the sex occurs, and whether it will be possible to imagine that the sex was never actually 'sexual' at all." This declaration further bolsters her section on the ways and means of anonymous (and what many men deem to be) "not-gay" sex in public bathrooms, wooded parks, bathhouses, backrooms, hushed bedrooms, Skype sessions, Craigslist categories, chat rooms, and iPhone apps. Activities like these, beginning with the most grassroots tapping of the first shoe in the next men's room stall, have been occurring for countless decades, she notes, and there seems to be no end in sight as long as gay and "straight" men consider each other with a sensual sensibility.
Another illuminating section finds Ward interviewing a slew of medical experts from sexologists to sociologists on their professional opinions and perceptions. Pages on the neuroscience of sexual orientation educate readers on brain function and biological proclivities, while elsewhere the author throws down assertions like this: "Homosexual contact is made possible by the stupidity, zaniness, drunkenness, lack of cultural awareness, and general 'loser' status of the straight (and almost always white) men involved." In truth, some of these declarations are bracing and provocative. They seem to be sweeping generalizations, but Ward's lucid arguments are consistently followed up with a clear thought process and, in some instances, even light humor.
The book also traverses Hollywood's penchant for "bro"-type films where heterosexual men appear to have more than a casual interest in each other, and sexualized hazing rituals that are not just for college campuses anymore (and include American Embassy guards, U.S. Marines, and Navy servicemen). The volume concludes with reflections on queer politics that have been shaped by "the implications of 'sexual fluidity.'"
While this book is probably best-suited to contemporary scholars in sexuality studies, Ward has produced an important, fascinating, and cerebral interpretation of the psychology behind all the locker-room towel-snapping and fraternity "elephant walks" happening behind closed doors and the locked lips of horny boys.