Navigating Rainbow Street : Subaltern experiences of living gayness in Amman

L. Kassicieh

Questions like 'what does it mean to be gay?' 'how is the topic of marriage navigated?' and 'what function does religion play in these individuals lives?' worked in shaping this research, with each man?s story displaying his own subjective lived experience. My research primarily focuses on openly gay men who, in some way or another, engage in Amman's gay scene. It will also provide a look into the experiences of men who do not identify as gay per se but still engage in sexual acts with other men. My thesis will illustrate the diversity in which 'gay' identities are grasped, criticised and analysed through the day-to-day activities of life in Amman, and the development of spaces in which the men move. My research does not intend on taking sexual identity categories to be universal, enduring realities but rather seeks to engage with the ways in which groups of men in Amman transform and experience such categories to a local context. This thesis analyses subaltern experiences of living gayness in Amman, Jordan.