ABSTRACT

This chapter starts with an exploration of the question of representation in terms of the relationship between sexuality and rurality. It discusses the body as it is used in the reinforcement and disruption of different forms of sexuality is thus a central consideration in the examination of the construction and marginalisation of rural homosexual and heterosexual identities. Agg and Phillips discuss the traditional gender relations portrayed in stereotypical images of rural society. The chapter considers a number of different representations of rural sexuality and argued that dominant constructions of the countryside, particularly in Britain, serve to reinforce the assumption of heterosexuality and the exclusion of homosexuality. It considers something of the 'lived experiences' of gays and lesbians in the countryside. The chapter examines the ways in which the marginalisation of homosexual identities is reflected in the day-to-day lives of those living in or visiting the rural community.