Abstract
Although many individuals use mobile dating apps as convenient tools to navigate their intimate lives, scholars in the West have begun to problematize blatant discriminatory behavior, particularly on platforms designed for men who have sex with men (MSM). The current study explored the contemporary gay dating culture by conducting in-depth interviews with 12 users of MSM-specific dating apps in Japan, investigating the relationship between the role of technological change on intimacy and discriminatory practices. One of the most common forms of discrimination in gay communities, namely sissyphobia, was chosen as a case study. The findings were consistent with the existing research that the highly eroticized, efficiency-oriented, and instantly connectable nature of dating apps contributes to a discrimination-prone environment. In addition, the construction of sexual preferences as “personal” discourses justifies offensive language on dating profiles. However, subtle exclusion practices favored among Japanese users may make online discrimination relatively undetectable. Moreover, the local construction of normative masculinity, which does not necessarily emphasize masculine-and-muscular looks, potentially obscures sissyphobia in the context of MSM-specific dating apps where performing exaggerated masculinity is usually critical.
