A boy growing into a gay man will get the message loud and clear that he is weak, dirty, and, perhaps worst of all, less than a man. However, go to places where men and boys congregate such as schoolyards, sports fields, fraternity houses, and locker rooms in this country and you will hear taunts such as 'You're a sissy!' 'That's so gay.' 'Hey c*cksucker!' or 'Wow, you really got f*cked in the *ss on that play!' Sex between males is seen as an act of violence and domination rather than an expression of love, affection, or mutual pleasure, and this mocking, whether it is done playfully or with hostile intent, is meant to degrade a man by deriding his manliness.
Initially, the assertion that homophobia plays center stage in men's masculine self-concept may seem rather extreme.
