In the Arena

The following is excerpted from Brian Pronger’s insightful book, The Arena of Masculinity: Sports, Homosexuality, and the Meaning of Sex.

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[S]ubjective experience rather than objective behavior is important. Viewed objectively, any sexual act involving persons of the same physical sex can be considered a homosexual act. But the simple physical fact of a man’s penis being in another man’s hand, mouth, or anus is, in itself, insignificant. In our culture, there is great importance attached to our saying that someone has been involved in homosexuality. What’s important is the meaning of homosexuality. What the homosexual act might mean to those involved, to someone who has caught them in the act, or to someone who suspects another of being homosexual can be highly significant.

To many high school coaches, the surprise discovery of two male athletes in flagrante delicto would have almost earth-shattering significance. To some, it would mean that the team has two faggots, pansies, boys who are less than real men. Having engaged in homosexual activity, the two young athletes have betrayed the pure aspirations of athletics: mens sana in corpore sano, a sound mind in a sound body. These boys have the potential to destroy the moral fabric of the team and perhaps the entire school. Even more importantly, their characteristically unmasculine behavior could undermine the macho competitive edge that many coaches work so hard to develop among their athletes.

For the boys involved, on the other hand, this sexual foray may have none of the significance that might overwhelm a coach’s vision. There is every possibility that the two lads were simply randy and were caught taking advantage of a warm and friendly hand in the shower, a welcome but not necessarily significant physical release of sexual energy. It is possible, however, that to one or maybe both of the boys, this sexual meeting had enormous personal significance, that it was the young expression of a profound and largely unexplored world of meaning.


Boys and men can engage in homosexual behavior with each other, but the content of that behavior depends on the subjective interpretation of those involved. It is actually the subjective meaning of the behavior and not the behavior itself that, from an orthodox view, is considered troublesome in our culture.

- Excerpted from The Arena of Masculinity: Sports, Homosexuality, and the Meaning of Sex by Brian Pronger.