Sexual Discretion
Black Masculinity and the Politics of Passing
Sexual Discretion
Black Masculinity and the Politics of Passing
In Sexual Discretion, Jeffrey Q. McCune Jr. provides the first in-depth examination of how the social expectations of black masculinity intersect and complicate expressions of same-sex affection and desire. Within these underground DL communities, men aren’t as highly policed—and thus are able to maintain their public roles as “properly masculine.” McCune draws from sources that range from R&B singer R. Kelly’s epic hip-hopera series Trapped in the Closet to Oprah’s high-profile exposé on DL subculture; and from E. Lynn Harris’s contemporary sexual passing novels to McCune’s own interviews and ethnography in nightclubs and online chat rooms. Sexual Discretion details the causes, pressures, and negotiations driving men who rarely disclose their intimate secrets.
224 pages | 6 halftones | 6 x 9 | © 2014
Anthropology: Cultural and Social Anthropology
Sociology: Race, Ethnic, and Minority Relations
Reviews
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
One / Introduction: Discrete/Discreet Acts, Goin’ Down Low
Two / Yo’ Daddy’s Dysfunctional: Risk, Blame, and Necessary Fictions in Down-Low Discourse
Three / “Out” in the Club: The Down Low, Hip-Hop,and the Architexture of Black Masculinity
Four / Goin’ Down Low: Virtual Space and thePerformance of Masculine Sincerity
Five / The Pages Are Ridden with Discretion: Pedagogy of the Pass and Present
Conclusion: From Sexual Discretion to Sexual Suspicion
Notes
References
Index
Awards
Choice Magazine: CHOICE Outstanding Academic Title Awards
Won
Caucus on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer Concerns and the GLBTQ Communication Studies Division: NCA GLBTQ Book of the Year Award
Won
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