Masculinities and friendships in the lives of young queer people in Ireland

This study investigates the lived experiences of young queer masculine individuals in Ireland, with a focus on how masculinities intersect with friendship dynamics. The overarching objective is to uncover the ways in which masculinities influence, and are influenced by, relational practices within their social circles. To achieve this, the research addresses three specific objectives: examining the friendships of queer masculine individuals with individuals of various experiences of gender and sexuality, understanding the impact of masculinities and societal norms on constructions of gender and relationships, and exploring how individuals negotiate masculinities and queerness to foster care and intimacy in friendships. Utilising a "feminist-positioning, queer-destabilising" qualitative methodology, the study is grounded in interpretivist and phenomenological frameworks. It applies innovative queer ethnographic methods, including “Queer Life Histories” and “Queer Dyadic Friendship Interviews”, to facilitate an in-depth exploration of participants' experiences over two phases of interviews. Phase One includes interviews with 17 young queer masculine individuals, while Phase Two involves interviews with nine of these participants alongside friends of their choice. The study’s conceptual grounding is situated within gender and sexuality scholarship–expanded through feminist, intersectional, and decolonial interventions–alongside foundational and contemporary Critical Studies of Men and Masculinities theory. Through ethnographic chapters analysing individual and dyadic friendship narratives, the findings reveal complex interactions with masculine norms and highlight friendships as transformative spaces for resisting and redefining gender expectations. These chapters explore early gendering influences, cultures of hegemonic masculinity in childhood, the role of heteronormativity and other normativities in friendships, and the enactment of nonnormative masculine performances through queer relationships. This analysis extends to discourses of masculinity, emotional expression, care practices, and the reimagining of intimacy beyond normative boundaries. Through an immersive exploration of how these young queer masculine individuals navigate cultural and social landscapes in Ireland, this research contributes to broader scholarship on queer masculinities and Irish queer studies, offering insights into the multiplicity of masculinities within contemporary Irish society.