JOBNAME: Trappolin PAGE: 1 SESS: 16 OUTPUT: Thu Dec 1 16:47:54 2011 5 Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, Don’t Bother: Homophobia and the Heteronorm in Hungary JUDIT TAKÁCS, TAMÁS DOMBOS, GYÖRGY MÉSZÁROS AND TAMÁSPTÓTH 1. Introduction ‘Homophobia is a characteristic feature of the majority identity’—stated a gay interviewee in the early 2000s, when describing reasons why it was not good to be gay in Hungary (Takács 2007). Keeping this in mind, we will use the term homophobia in an interpretational framework, which is more intimately con- nected to heteronormativity, constituting a major part of a fictional ‘truly Hungarian’ majority identity, rather than to the concept of homosexuality carrying several denotations and connotations of behaviour, identity, perfor- mance and history. In the context of the present study, examining the social functioning of homophobia is interpreted as an awareness-raising tool about heterosexist, heteronormative oppression operating in Hungary and elsewhere— rather than focusing on one’s irrational fear of homosexuals, seen as a specific, individual level feature, being largely disconnected from its specific socio-cultural surroundings. Heteronormative oppression implies that lesbians and gays suffer disadvantage and injustice because of everyday practices resulting from unquestioned norms and assumptions underlying institutional rules (Young 1990). The heteronorm, a cultural ideology perpetuating sexual stigma (Plummer 1975; Herek 2004; 2011), can be expressed in systemic violence directed against lesbians and gays, such as the violent attacks in many Eastern European cities witnessed during recent Gay Pride events. The occurrence of these violent attacks can be explained by the fact that in many Eastern European societies, including Hungary, institutionalised social practices encourage, tolerate, and enable the perpetration of violence against lesbian and gay citizens. 79 Columns Design XML Ltd / Job: Trappolin / Division: Chapter05 /Pg. Position: 1 / Date: 14/11