Queer and Camp
March 26th, 2008 by KathyWe didn’t spend much time discussing camp in class but I think its important to discuss that initially the word often refered to, and still refers to homosexual behavior. The word was certainly used in the 1920s to refer to a certain type of effiminate behavior from men. Sontag discusses this in her article, stating how gay men tend to be the biggest supporters and performers of camp.
So I want to know how much the word camp has moved beyond its association with gay men? The Wikipedia article on Mika uses his “campy” stage performanc as evidence that he is gay. My roomate says that camp and homosexuality are completely intertwined, and I think that the media definately associates the two. So to what extent should the gay connotations of camp impact its place in fandom? Can any discussion of camp occur without discussing the stereotypical “gay” aspect of it?
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