HOMOPHOBIA AS A PRACTICE OF EXCLUSION INCONTEMPORARY TURKISH PLAYWRITING

Abstract

The term homophobia, defined by Weinberg in the 1960s, is an issue that has been studied in psychology, sociology and law. Today, homophobia, which is defined as an exclusion practice of gender-based discrimination, has been studied in different fields with its effects and consequences, as well as in the field of theatre, and experiences, results, oppression and exclusion practices in this context have been brought to the stage. The traces of plays that deal with homophobia in European and American theater begin to be seen in the 1930s, but it is necessary to wait for the 1960s for texts that deal with homophobia in a striking way. In Turkish playwriting, it is only possible to come across plays that deal with homophobia after 2000. So, in what contexts were homophobic attitudes and behaviors handled in Turkish theater after 2000? What are the domination and resistance practices regarding homophobia in these texts? The aim of our study is to answer these questions and to present with examples how the theme of gender-based discrimination and homophobia was handled in Turkish playwriting after 2000. Among the plays written after 2000, 12 plays were selected by considering the criteria of handling homophobia, staging and publishing. The plays were examined in the context of the theoretical ground of homophobia, and it was seen that they could be categorized under three headings: Self-Exclusion of the Individual, Social Exclusion Due to Heteronormativity and Exclusion from Public Spaces in terms of handling the subject. As a result, the playwrights see homophobia as a form of exclusion that must be overcome; In some plays, while a resistance strategy was produced, it was observed that an accepting attitude was displayed in others. It has been seen that some of the writers who produce resistance try to overcome homophobia through comedy, while others try to overcome it with tragic elements.