Centro Journal ISSN: 1538-6279
[email protected] The City University of New York Estados Unidos La Fountain-Stokes, Lawrence Queer ducks, Puerto Rican patos, and Jewish- American feygelekh: birds and the cultural representation of homosexuality Centro Journal, vol. XIX, núm. 1, 2007, pp. 192-229 The City University of New York New York, Estados Unidos Available in: http://www.redalyc.org/articulo.oa?id=37719111 How to cite Complete issue Scientific Information System More information about this article Network of Scientific Journals from Latin America, the Caribbean, Spain and Portugal Journal's homepage in redalyc.org Non-profit academic project, developed under the open access initiative LaFountain(v4).qxd 6/3/07 4:03 PM Page 192 LaFountain(v4).qxd 6/3/07 4:03 PM Page 193 CENTRO Journal Volume7 xix Number 1 spring 2007 Queer ducks, Puerto Rican patos, and Jewish- American feygelekh: Birds and the cultural representation of homosexuality LAWRENCE LA FOUNTAIN-STOKES ABSTRACT This article explores popular linguistic and artistic usages of birds as metaphors for male and female homosexuality and for divergent gender expression in the Americas and Europe, focusing on Puerto Rico and the United States. First, I analyze the lexical coincidence of the phrase queer duck with terms in Spanish and Yiddish such as pato, pata, and feygele. I then go on to discuss Puerto Rican and diasporic cultural productions engaging these tropes, including works by Alfredo Collado Martell, Luis Lloréns Torres, Alfredo Villanueva-Collado, Ángel Lozada, Frances Negrón-Muntaner, Alexandra Pagán Vélez, and the Arthur Avilés Typical Theatre, as well as my own performance piece, Abolición del pato.