The reappropriation of insult as queer resistance in the digital universe: the Gaysper case

Abstract

The rise and revival of far-right political groups in Spain has resulted in an increase in hate speech against, and hateful portrayal of, both feminism and the LGTBIQ+ community (Kimmel, 2019; Halberstam, 2018). Hegemonic and non-hegemonic discourses are waging a war for representation (Hall, 1997), from which minority groups have been excluded, resulting in their continuing discrimination. The democratization of social media has allowed for a critical space whence non-hegemonic publics are now able to subvert dominant discourses and generate new symbolic images by means of appropriationism and cultural sabotage (Morduchowicz, 2012; Harold, 2004). This is the case with 'Gaysper', a ghost icon dressed in the rainbow colors of the LGTBIQ+ pride flag, which the far-right Spanish party Vox wielded as an online meme to deride that community and portray it as a national enemy. This research has drawn on a critical analysis of this particular case of study and two focus groups made up by participants in an online debate. This article reflects critically on appropriationism and the use of humor as subversive tools for deactivating homophobic and sexist atacks by today's rising far right. 'Gaysper' exemplifies how social media currently make for an outstanding scenario for the construction of political identities, and what a long way the creative power of the LGTBIQ+ movement has come to transform something born out of homophobic and sexist violence into a call for hope and pride.