https://doi.org/10.67147/literariness.v1i2.075
Vulnerability in Visibility: Queer Adolescents and the Politics of Authenticity
RICHIK GHOSAL
UG III Student, BA Political Science
Ramakrishna Mission Residential College (Autonomous)
Narendrapur, Kolkata, West Bengal
Abstract: The phobia surrounding liberated sexual identities can be traced back to colonial legacies, where the imposition of Western ideals of masculinity marginalized expressive gender and sexuality. In postcolonial India, as argued by Partha Chatterjee in The Nation and Its Fragments: Colonial and Postcolonial Histories (1993), one of the major resistances to gender and sexual expression is the pervasive ideology of theocratic nationalism, which reinforces cisheteropatriarchal standards while excluding alternative identities. Ashis Nandy (1983) notes that both colonial rulers and revivalist nationalists share a disdain for androgynous qualities, promoting an ideal cisheterosexual man as the epitome of virtue. This social landscape, coupled with aggressive dogmatism, places Indian queer adolescents in a dilemma between “coming out to mockery” and “keeping suffocated in the closet,” forcing them into a precarious existence.
The vulnerability intensifies as reactionary chauvinism, often framed as masculinity, gains influence globally. Public figures such as Andrew Tate and Jordan B. Peterson have become prominent voices in such movements, presenting themselves as embodiments of an “ideal masculinity” or Übermensch. This rhetoric not only dismisses gender and sexual fluidity but also contributes to hostility toward those who embody it, thereby worsening the already precarious position of queer adolescents.
This paper explores how these dynamics manifest in the lived experiences of queer youth, examining the psychological consequences of navigating a world that frequently punishes authenticity. Through qualitative engagement with existing literature, the study scrutinizes the experiences of queer adolescents in India, highlighting how some may internalize homophobia and transphobia as essentialist defence mechanisms against the existential crisis of their social identities. This social opprobrium often leads to ego-dystonic experiences and deep psychological conflict. By situating these realities within broader discourses of postcolonial identity politics, the paper serves as a literary, sociopolitical, and psychological commentary on hegemonic masculinity, closeted homosexuality, and internalized cisheteropatriarchy.
Keywords: Queer Adolescence, Gender Hegemony, Internalized Cisheteropatriarchy, Identity, Precarity
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