Oliver and David: Straight-Acting Gay Men in Queer Narratives

Abstract

The majority of countries and people continue to believe that those who do not fit into a binary gender scale are not 'normal.' They overlook the fact that gender is merely a social construct. Sexual orientation is not a fixed trait; rather, it varies from person to person. Because females are not the norm of society and are only the second sex, the world has seen and continued to see discriminations against them. Similarly, individuals of the LGBTQ+ community face increased discrimination in a variety of areas as they challenge the socially established gender notion as well as society's expectations. People who do not fit into society's mainstream norm are frequently stigmatized. The majority of them are seen as outsiders in society. The term "queer" refers to anything out of the ordinary or contrary to society's dominant norms. Queer theory emerged from the third wave of feminism, and it challenges society's dominant norm as it imposes its regulations on those who ref use to accept them. Since LGBTQ+ people are rarely at the center of society, they are also known as queer people. The queer narratives are great initiatives for changing heteronormative culture and ensuring a safe environment for LGBTQ+ individuals by advocating tolerance. However, because the storylines frequently end in sorrow and tragedy, the narratives unknowingly reinforce the ideas of a straight society as the authors try to portray a piece of reality. Since the stories are not fantasy, the authors are unable to depict something unrealistic that is outside of their setting. Numerous working factors impact a same sex couple's tragic future, including their conflict with morality and desire, as well as societal expectation, religious conviction, and, most importantly, parental support. These factors are the driving force that encourage queer people act like a straight person throughout the rest of their life which push them toward a tragic ending both in reality and fiction which reinforce the ideologies of heteronormative society continuously.