In Ward’s article, she first makes the argument that homophobia is less about self-hatred and subjectification and more about heternormativity or fitting into the heterosexual culture of hating gay people (Ward, pg. 415). This why many of the ads posted by “str8 dudes” reference disliking gay men and/or rejecting gay culture. It is a way for them to remain straight, while inquiring about same-sex sex. Next, she argues that whiteness is one of the main reasons why these “str8 dudes” are able to be straight. This is because our culture often categorizes white masculinity as “normal” and “natural” akin to heterosexuality classified as “normal” and “natural” (Ward, pg. 415-416). Ward points out the many signifiers white “str8 dudes” use in their
