University of South Florida Scholar Commons Graduate Theses and Dissertations Graduate School January 2015 Straight Benevolence: Preserving Heterosexual Authority and White Privilege Robb James Bruce University of South Florida,
[email protected] Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd Part of the Communication Commons Scholar Commons Citation Bruce, Robb James, "Straight Benevolence: Preserving Heterosexual Authority and White Privilege" (2015). Graduate Theses and Dissertations. http://scholarcommons.usf.edu/etd/5648 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate School at Scholar Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Graduate Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Scholar Commons. For more information, please contact
[email protected]. Straight Benevolence: Preserving Heterosexual Authority and White Privilege by Robert J. Bruce A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts Department of Communication Studies College of Arts and Sciences University of South Florida Major Professor: Rachel Dubrofsky, Ph.D. Aisha Durham, Ph.D. Kimberly Golombisky, Ph.D. Date of Approval: June 16, 2015 Keywords: straight benevolence, post-sexuality, gayness, masculinity, whiteness Copyright © 2015, Robert J. Bruce Acknowledgments Producing this masters thesis has been life-changing, in every sense of the phrase. I am proud of my commitment, effort, and the work I now enthusiastically submit, but also just as gratified by the struggles and doubts I overcame. Without question, the most extraordinary moments of the past year revolve around the support, direction, guidance, encouragement, and love I have encountered along the way. I first want to thank my amazing advisor, Dr.