Chubby gay old men
Fat Gay Men
To be fat in a thin-obsessed gay culture
can be difficult. Despite affectionate in-group monikers for big same-sex attracted menchubs,
bears, cubsthe anti-fat stigma that persists in American culture at large
still haunts these individuals who often exist at the margins of gay
communities. In Heavy Gay Men, Jason
Whitesel delves into the world of Girth & Mirth, a nationally known social
club committed to big gay men, illuminating the ways in which these men form
identities and community in the face of adversity. In existence for over forty
years, the club has prolonged been a refuge and safe space for such men. Both a partial insider as a male lover man and an
outsider to Girth & Mirth, Whitesel offers an insiders critique of the gay
movement, questioning whether the social consequences of the failure to be
height-weight proportionate should be so extreme in the gay community.
This publication documents performances at club events and examines how
participants use allusion and campy-queer behavior to reconfigure and reclaim
their sullied body images, focusing on the numerous t
.
.
.