Siraj Asifa
a Independent Researcher , Glasgow , UK.
Cult Health Sex. 2018 Jan;20(1):28-39. doi: 10.1080/13691058.2017.1323349. Epub 2017 May 16.
This study explores the complex interaction between ethnicity, gender and [homo]sexuality and how this creates a framework of stigma that compels some British Pakistani lesbians to remain within the closet. The 'closet' here is a metaphor that describes the concealment of one's homosexual identity and the outward 'performance' of heterosexuality. British Pakistani lesbians precariously inhabit a sociocultural environment that constrains the expression of female sexuality. Women who oppose and contravene heteronormative values and ideals unsettle comfortable assumptions of heterosexuality. Being in the closet keeps lesbians isolated and marginalised from their ethnic and cultural communities. Drawing on findings from online interviews with seven British Pakistani lesbians, the study explores what shapes their decision to stay within the closet and how doing so influences their self-perception. Being in the closet is a source of considerable conflict, strain and anxiety, which has an impact on the women's readiness to embrace individual choice, freedom and desire. Findings orientate the reader toward an understanding of the multiple, interlocking systems of social relations within which British Pakistani lesbians are marginalised as the result of their gender, sexuality and ethnic identity.
本研究探讨了种族、性别与同性恋之间的复杂互动，以及这种互动如何构建了一个耻辱框架，迫使一些英裔巴基斯坦女同性恋者隐藏自己的性取向。这里的“隐藏”是一种比喻，描述了对自身同性恋身份的隐瞒以及外在表现出的异性恋特征。英裔巴基斯坦女同性恋者身处一个不稳定的社会文化环境中，这种环境限制了女性性取向的表达。那些反对并违背异性规范价值观和理想的女性打破了人们对异性恋的固有认知。隐藏性取向使女同性恋者在种族和文化社区中处于孤立和边缘地位。基于对七名英裔巴基斯坦女同性恋者的在线访谈结果，本研究探讨了哪些因素影响她们选择隐藏性取向，以及这样做如何影响她们的自我认知。隐藏性取向会引发诸多冲突、压力和焦虑，这影响了这些女性对个人选择、自由和欲望的接受程度。研究结果引导读者去理解多重、相互关联的社会关系系统，在这个系统中，英裔巴基斯坦女同性恋者因其性别、性取向和种族身份而被边缘化。
