from Gay Activism in the Schools

School Counselor Analyzes Youth Who Navigate Gender-Variant Identities

June 26, 2006 - Samuel Marc Davidson, in "Exploring Sociocultural Borderlands: Journeying, Navigating, and Embodying a Queer Identity," (The Journal of Men's Studies, Vol. 14, Issue 1, p. 13+, 2006) discusses the sexual journeys of teenage boys who reject established standards of masculinity.

Davidson's essay is based upon his experience as a health teacher, school counselor and a trainer of peer counselors. He also says his commentary is based upon a "Critical Constructivist, post-modern understanding of multiple masculinities and queer theories."

The author describes the case of a young Latino named Carlos (a pseudonym) who rejects traditional masculinity in favor of a fluid bisexuality. Carlos, says Davidson is repeatedly deconstructing and reconstructing his own masculine identity. "Carlos moves in and out of relationships with sensitive fluidity, reflecting his identity as a person of high standards and regard for others. .... He has deliberately constructed his masculinity on a foundation of what he calls 'feminine knowledge and feminine intuition."

Carlos, says Davidson, "is quite clear that his sexual fluidity is not 'just a passing phase or something you go through for awhile' but rather a permanent, positive aspect of his sexual identity as a young man. He firmly states that being strongly bisexual is an attribute rather than a deficit, and this sexual identity and practice is not born out of confusion, yet he understands that this view is often not held by members of either the heterosexual or gay/lesbian communities."

Davidson believes Carlos' experience offers lessons for educators. He notes: "The experiences and expressions of fluid masculinity found in the case study and portrait of Carlos offers praxis as educators and school counselors overlay a young man's face and lived realities on a theory that offers a broad continuum made up of subtle nuances and practical skills in the embodiment of queer masculinity."


Additional Reading: Homosexuality: The Essentialist Argument Continues to Erode; Sex Differences In Flexibility Of Sexual Orientation; Counselor Sheds Light On Helping Women With Same-Sex Attractions; Canadian Transgender Activists Urge Legal Protection For Gender Fluidity.