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Abstract

Using a theoretical discussion of gender performance and border patrol/inspection to situate the analysis, this article examines the film Boys Don't Cry to investigate the performances of White masculinity and how Brandon Teena's body becomes constructed as a “contested site.” The author argues that the film reinscribes the normative nature of White masculinity by showcasing Brandon Teena's “failed” performance as a performance while allowing the “biological men” to just “be” men. The film was not able to allow Brandon to exist in the “borderlands,” a space where he did not have to be labeled outside of his own desires. The film contains Brandon, categorizes him as “lesbian.” We, as viewers of the film, are interpellated as border patrols and aid in the lesbianizing of Brandon.

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The Performance of White Masculinity in Boys Don't Cry: Identity,Desire,(Mis)Recognition

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