The epistemology of the fag hag's closet : a Dionysian experience

Abstract

This thesis explores the fag hag identity in the gay nightclub and party culture. A fag hag is a woman who prefers the company of gay men and this particular alliance creates new opportunities for on-going discussions around an alternative politics of gender relations. This research is written from an autoethnographical view point using a qualitative methodological approach which includes interviews with other women who identify as fag hags. Chapter One begins with an introduction to the fag hag identity and a discussion of studies currently available as well as providing an overview of the following chapters. This chapter also includes an explanation of some of the theories used in the analysis of interviews and an introduction to the myths of Electra and Antigone which offer alternative ways of investigating family relationships to Freud's oedipal theories. Chapter Two discusses the family relationships of the fag hag and uses material from interviews as well as my own experience and models from Greek mythology in order to investigate these family bonds. Chapter Three examines the fag hag's inclusion in the gay nightclub and party culture as a safe space that allows for experimentation with her own performance of self.

Date of Award	2010
Original language	English