„Drwale” i „miśki” zadomawiają się w Polsce, czyli o zróżnicowaniu kulturowych przedstawień homoseksualności mężczyzn w odniesieniu do heteronormatywnych ujęć męskości

Abstract

Popular representations of homosexual men in Poland are marked by effeminacy, often leading to a negative reception of this social group by both gay community and the rest of the Polish society. However, there are niches in the LGBTQ circles that celebrate “natural” masculinity, one of those are the so-called bears. In mid-November 2014, a different non-native masculinity was introduced to the Polish public—their followers are known as lumbersexuals due to their superficial resemblance to the traditional image of a lumberjack. As in the case of Bears, lumbersexuality presents itself as “natural” with the difference lying in the latter’s heterosexual appeal. Both phenomena are discussed in the light of discourses on masculinity and effeminacy with the goal of examining their possible impact on re-shaping Poles’ image of gay men. The paper argues that the creation of a manly alternative to the dominant effeminate gay stereotype may contribute to a change in reception of homosexuality in Poland.