The Dictionary of Homophobia
THE DICTIONARY OF
HOMOPHOBIA
THE DICTIONARY OF
HOMOPHOBIA
A GLOBAL HISTORY OF GAY & LESBIAN EXPERIENCE
Edited by LOUIS-GEORGES TIN
Translated by Marek Redburn
with Alice Michaud and Kyle Mathers
THE DICTIONARY OF HOMOPHOBIA
Translation copyright © 2008 by the translators
Original edition © 2003 by Presses universitaires de France
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any form by any means—graphic, electronic or mechanical—without the prior written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may use brief excerpts in a review, or in the case of photocopying in Canada, a license from Access Copyright.
ARSENAL PULP PRESS
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This book was published with the support of the French Ministry of Culture— National Book Center. Ouvrage publié avec le concours du Ministère français chargé de la culture—Centre national du livre.
The publisher gratefully acknowledges the support of the Government of Canada through the Book Publishing Industry Development Program and the Government of British Columbia through the Book Publishing Tax Credit Program for its publishing activities.
Efforts have been made to locate copyright holders of source material wherever possible. The publisher welcomes hearing from any copyright holders of material used in this book who have not been contacted.
Book design by Shyla Seller
Editing by Brian Lam, Robert Ballantyne, and Bethanne Grabham. Editorial assistance by Suzanne Hawkins, Shirarose Wilensky, Jon Fleming, and Richard Swain
Printed and bound in Canada
Library and Archives Canada Cataloguing in Publication:
The dictionary of homophobia : a global history of gay & lesbian experience / edited by Louis-Georges Tin, editor ; translated by Marek Redburn.
Translation of: Dictionnaire de l’homophobie.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 978-1-55152-229-6
1. Homophobia—Dictionaries. 2. Homosexuality—Dictionaries. I. Tin, Louis-Georges II. Redburn, Marek, 1968-
HQ76.4.D5313 2007 306.76’603 C2007-906136-2
CONTENTS
Preface to the Original Edition
Editor’s Preface to the English-Language Edition
When
Dictionnaire de l’homophobie
was first published by Presses universitaires de France in 2003, it was hailed as a groundbreaking achievement: the work of seventy-six esteemed researchers in fifteen countries, the goal of which was to document the social, political, medical, legal, and criminal treatment of homosexuals throughout history to present-day. Arsenal Pulp Press is very pleased to bring the English translation of this important book,
The Dictionary of Homophobia
, to a global English-speaking audience.
In the time since the
Dictionnaire
was originally published, history has moved along. So while we wished to maintain the integrity of the original text, we have updated certain entries where new information became available, and where circumstances had changed, particularly with regard to legal and criminal codes in various countries. The status of the LGBT community within mainstream society is changing on a daily basis, for the most part (but not always) in positive ways; in short, the
Dictionary
will never be absolutely up-to-date.
It should also be noted that because the book was originally written for a French audience, some essays focus on events, personalities, and circumstances in France. We have kept this in mind while editing this translation and, where useful, added material which speaks to homophobic experience elsewhere in the world; the essays in which this new material appears are noted as such. At the same time, the essays on France offer illuminating evidence of one particular country’s experience with the phenomenon of homophobia which informs our own response to it no matter where we live.
Also, a few words of explanation: quotations that appear in this book are mainly direct translations of the text that appears in the original
Dictionnaire
; if an English edition of the book or other source material being quoted from is available, the quotations may appear slightly different. Further, the bibliographies list the sources as they appear in the original
Dictionnaire
; as much as possible, we included an English translation for readers’ reference. Finally, we embellished the “Further Reading” lists where it was felt there were not enough English-language translations in the bibliography.
A last word: we would like to note the remarkable efforts of Louis-Georges Tin, editor of the original
Dictionnaire,
in founding the annual International Day Against Homophobia, and hope that it will take hold as a beacon of courage and global change for all members of the LGBT community, as well as those who support it, in all parts of the world.
—Robert Ballantyne, Associate Publisher;
Brian Lam, Publisher
Arsenal Pulp Press
PREFACE TO THE ORIGINAL EDITION
Everyday, France’s Republican tradition is assaulted by racist, sexist, and homophobic discrimination; each of these are an insult to democracy. At the dawn of the twenty-first century, how can we tolerate someone being “assaulted”—whether verbally or physically—simply due to their real or perceived identity?
In terms of the specific issue of homophobia, this complex book has the immense merit of clarifying the debate and opening opportunities for advancement, by simply revealing the stakes at issue. Linguistic representations, be they the usual insults or the usual jokes, can be traumatic, especially given the lack of response or solidarity demonstrated by those in authority.
Certainly, homosexuality is more socially acceptable and less of a taboo than it once was. But how can we deny the fact that a demonstration by tens of thousands of people can still be used as a platform for abject slogans that convey utter hatred (“Burn the fags”)?
Each act of discrimination is an act of violence: real violence, when we are denied a place to live or a job because of our identity; and symbolic violence, when homophobia is integrated into behavior and becomes a reflex, a gratuitous and cruel game, a part of everyday language that is equally present in certain media. This violence also takes the form of personal tragedies— educational, professional, or family rejection; emotional wounds and feelings of despair—that still continue to destroy lives.
That is why every tangible act of progress is a reason for hope, as the establishment of the French law Pacte civil de solidarité (PaCS; Civil solidarity pact) in 1999 clearly illustrates. It is important to thank the French government under Lionel Jospin for having put an end to old injustices, for having advanced the equality of individual rights, and for having contributed to an evolution of thinking on this issue. For the first time, thanks to these reforms, France has recognized the existence and the legitimacy of both heterosexual and homosexual couples outside of marriage.
Nonetheless, the fight is far from over. It must be noted, for example, that French law still sanctions homophobia, however tacitly. The challenge is not only legal and political, but also cultural, pedagogical, and even philosophical.
How do we change our perception of the Other and make real the values of respect, generosity, and brotherhood? How do we deconstruct the social, psychological, and political mechanisms of rejection and intolerance? This book also has the merit of answering these very key questions. In order to go forward, it is first necessary to understand.
Undoubtedly, it is up to governments to act with determination, and in consultation with communities, to help to affect all future change.
We need to hammer home the idea that diversity is an inexhaustible source of collective wealth; and that our differences, be they cultural, generational, or identity-based, are an asset to our society. We need to assert that our everyday lives must be founded on respect for each and every person’s dignity.
With this approach, we can look to the remarkable work done, for example, by the government of South Africa in the elaboration of its new constitution, and also to the European Union Charter of Fundamental Rights, or even the addendum to the European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. All of these texts strive explicitly to prevent any stigmatization based on choices related to personal and intimate life.
—Bertrand Delanoë
Mayor of Paris
2003
EDITOR’S PREFACE TO THE ENGLISH-
LANGUAGE EDITION
When
The Dictionary of Homophobia
first appeared in France in May of 2003, it was unanimously well-received; it was praised as a work without precedence, scientifically rigorous and politically sound. It was featured on the front page of
Le Monde
’s book review section, and, even though it was written in French, received positive reviews in Japan, Italy, Brazil, the United States, and beyond. However, as the book’s editor, my own career did not enjoy a similar fate. In the past, I had enjoyed great success in the academic milieu, but following the publication of the
Dictionary
, I discovered to my dismay that doors that had previously been open were now closed to me. The contract I had with the University of Paris, which was to be renewed, was abruptly terminated. The department chair and vice-chair confirmed that the scientific council’s decision was linked to the publication of the
Dictionary
. They sincerely regretted the decision, but admitted (without formal proof or written statements) that there was nothing that could be done. In short, the wide acclaim for the book would seem to suggest that homophobia is now generally condemned by French society, perhaps a thing of the past. However, my personal experience shows that the reality is slightly more complex.
This particular circumstance sheds light on the paradox that has characterized homophobia in the world since 2003, when the
Dictionary
was first published. The social, political, and cultural advances for LGBT people have been numerous, but there have been many setbacks as well. In the United States, for example, there have been several positive instances which gave many a sense of optimism. On June 26, 2003, in an historical decision, the federal supreme court struck down state sodomy laws that were still in existence: in
Lawrence v. Texas
, the court found in favor of two men who had been arrested after Houston police entered a man’s apartment and witnessed him and another adult man engaging in a private, consensual sexual act; the decision rendered the sodomy laws that still existed in twelve other US states null and void. Another encouraging sign occurred on May 17, 2004, when marriage between same-sex partners became legal in the state of Massachusetts (only the sixth jurisdiction in the world to do so, after the Netherlands, Belgium, and the Canadian provinces of Ontario, Quebec, and British Columbia). As a result of these breakthroughs, it was rightly believed that the status of LGBT people in North America was moving forward. In fact, a little over a year after the decision by the Supreme Court of Massachusetts, Canada’s House of Commons approved same-sex marriage for the entire country.
However, in November 2004, when Americans were asked to choose their new president, thirteen states also held referendums in which voters defined marriage as being limited to a union between a man and a woman, thus preventing the possibility of same-sex marriage. After the great strides made in the area of gay and lesbian rights, the referendum decisions were a crushing blow, and an enormous victory for the far right, demonstrating once again that progress for gays and lesbians was anything but linear.