Abstract
This article interrogates the concept of `homophobia' via a set of `open' interviews with 16- to 18-year-old boys. It explores a broadly sociological critique of the concept; one that understands boys' anti-lesbian and gay talk and behaviour in terms of the local and dialogic performance of heterosexual masculinities. However, while acknowledging the relevance of this critique, the article suggests that the existence of homophobia highlights the need for an understanding of the position of the unconscious in gender and sexual performance. The article explores an expanded account of the unconscious dimensions of `homophobia', arguing for forms of analysis capable of addressing the unconscious and the social as intersecting and mutually constitutive dynamics.
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