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Assignment 5 – Shaikhah Alhomaizi

In “Dude, You’re a Fag: Masculinity and Sexuality in High School”, C.J. Pascoe discusses how students, teachers, and administrators contribute to the cultural meanings around gender and sexuality. She introduced these concepts through a skit that was performed at River High. In this response, I will discuss how administrators in particular contribute to cultural understandings of gender and sexuality, by examining the case of River High.

At River high, administrators were dismissing topics about sexuality due to their belief that other sexualities would disrupt the normal course of life. To promote heteronormative lifestyles, officials created events in which they can enforce this ideology. For example, this behavior on the part of the administrators can be seen through the school dances and competitions. In these events (which tend to have a sexualized environment) students are assumed to attend as heterosexual or “normal” couples. Thus, by endorsing events that promote heterosexual relationships, administrators can eliminate differences in expressions of sexual orientation. In addition to restricting students of different sexual orientation, they promote gender differences and stereotypes. This can be seen with the policies at River High that were made to emphasize differences in between “boys” and “girls” such as, dissimilar dress code requirements. For examples, while all students are expected to cover up certain parts of their skin, female students are expected to cover up their midriff while male students are not.

To conclude, the administrators contributed to the cultural meanings around gender and sexuality by providing the essential support and space, in which they were able to enforce their own rules that restrict different expressions of gender identity and sexual orientation. By utilizing the power that they have as school officials, administrators created a platform where they are able to influence their students into a particular meaning of gender and sexuality.