Confrontation between homosexual qeer subjects and the hegemonial manhood in a performance "Raudoni batraiščiai" by Yana Ross

This article analyses the problematic of homosexual manhood, gay images and their confrontation with the hegemonic manhood in a performance “Raudoni batraiščiai” (“Red Shoelaces”) by Yanna Ross. Firstly, the discussion is carried out on the theoretical discourse of the hegemonic manhood, which reveals that this form of manhood is represented by a white middle-class man. He uses all privileges of power and authority, which are used against people, who do not meet the standards, such as, homosexual men. This article emphasizes the features and certain functions of a hegemonic man, such as, taking care of his woman, being able to earn money or fostering children. A hegemonic man has to represent his masculinity and his sexual potency by his external image. This man is also assigned the power of marginalizing and discriminating, which is referred to men, who do not meet the standards of, for example, sexuality. The queer theory presented reveals the mechanism of normalization, which is common to heteronormativity, and deconstruct universality and stability of heterosexuality. By assigning a positive meaning to the term queer, this theory shows that heterosexuality can deviate from the norm. Though it breaks the binary oppositions, this theory also shows that there is a confrontation between homosexuality and heterosexuality. The queer study emphasizes the marginalization area of homosexual men, in which gays lose their autonomic voice. However, they also reveal that each untypical subject has a right to express one’s identity. The play “Raudoni batraiščiai”, which represents a multidimensional intolerance and discrimination, is analyzed based on the discourse of a hegemonic manhood and the queer theory. The hegemonic men of the play – Juozas (actor Dainius Kazlauskas) and Adas (actor Marius Čižauskas) promote homophobic attitudes and use the privilege of marginalization, which is diverted towards homosexual characters – Kajus (actor Martynas Vaidotas) and Jonas (actor Julius Paškevičius). The play reveals two different worlds of homosexual queer subjects: homophobic and dangerous Lithuanian vs. tolerant and safe USA. Considering the context of homophobic Lithuania, the homosexual character Jonas promotes the phenomenon of forced silence and chooses an antonymic virtual space to express his sexual identity, which turns out to be the space for him and Kajus to communicate. This cybernetic world promotes an erotized homosexual gaze, which forms pleasure in a fluid fantazmic reality. It’s important to emphasize that the presumptions on homosexual men are obvious in a play “Raudoni batraiščiai” and in the character of Kajus in particular. This homosexual subject embodies a hypertrophied type of feminine gay, which is represented as the gay stereotypes in a public Lithuanian discourse (these stereotypes propose that homosexual men are feminine). Meanwhile, Jonas embodies stereotypization in the gay community: his inner image represents a popular twink gay image