To Come Out or Not to Come Out: Queer Coming Out in Nine Lives by Zodwa Nyoni

Emre Ozmen

Article Details

To Come Out or Not to Come Out: Queer Coming Out in Nine Lives by Zodwa Nyoni

Authors:

Emre Ozmen

Publisher:

Ataturk University

Main Topics:

Uygulamalı Tiyatro

Journal:

Theatre Academy Vol.1 Issue 1, pp.69-83

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

3/2023

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001287081

pISSN:

2980-1656

Keywords:

Abstract:

 Queer studies, as a field of gender studies with particular focus on LGBTQ culture and issues at the end of the twentieth century, has increased nonbinary individuals visibility. Because it has enabled queer people to define and reveal their non-normative gender identities and sexual preferences in many ways and platforms. This process, also called coming out, has become one of the watersheds in a queer persons life. Despite its importance for the queer individuals, this process is a rather manifold one. Variables such as race, religion, and family cause difficulties in terms of the coming out process of individuals. In 2014, Zimbabwean playwright Zodwa Nyoni wrote Nine Lives which delves into the coming out process and its challenges. The play portrays Ishmaels experiences who flees from his country Zimbabwe due to his sexual identity. Although he succeeds entering the United Kingdom, Ishmael continues to struggle to be out with his sexual preferences. This paper scrutinises the process of coming out and how the internal and external factors in a queer persons life affect the process and its outcome as they are manifested in Nine Lives.

 Queer studies, as a field of gender studies with particular focus on LGBTQ culture and issues at the end of the twentieth century, has increased nonbinary individuals visibility. Because it has enabled queer people to define and reveal their non-normative gender identities and sexual preferences in many ways and platforms. This process, also called coming out, has become one of the watersheds in a queer persons life. Despite its importance for the queer individuals, this process is a rather manifold one. Variables such as race, religion, and family cause difficulties in terms of the coming out process of individuals. In 2014, Zimbabwean playwright Zodwa Nyoni wrote Nine Lives which delves into the coming out process and its challenges. The play portrays Ishmaels experiences who flees from his country Zimbabwe due to his sexual identity. Although he succeeds entering the United Kingdom, Ishmael continues to struggle to be out with his sexual preferences. This paper scrutinises the process of coming out and how the internal and external factors in a queer persons life affect the process and its outcome as they are manifested in Nine Lives.

 Queer studies, as a field of gender studies with particular focus on LGBTQ culture and issues at the end of the twentieth century, has increased nonbinary individuals visibility. Because it has enabled queer people to define and reveal their non-normative gender identities and sexual preferences in many ways and platforms. This process, also called coming out, has become one of the watersheds in a queer persons life. Despite its importance for the queer individuals, this process is a rather manifold one. Variables such as race, religion, and family cause difficulties in terms of the coming out process of individuals. In 2014, Zimbabwean playwright Zodwa Nyoni wrote Nine Lives which delves into the coming out process and its challenges. The play portrays Ishmaels experiences who flees from his country Zimbabwe due to his sexual identity. Although he succeeds entering the United Kingdom, Ishmael continues to struggle to be out with his sexual preferences. This paper scrutinises the process of coming out and how the internal and external factors in a queer persons life affect the process and its outcome as they are manifested in Nine Lives.

 Yirminci yüzyılın sonunda, özellikle LGBTQ kültürü ve sorunlarına odaklanan bir toplumsal cinsiyet çalışmaları alanı olarak ortaya çıkan kuir çalışmaları, nonbinary bireylerin görünürlüğünü artırmıştır. Bu çalışmalar, kuir bireylerin normatif olmayan cinsiyet kimliklerini ve cinsel tercihlerini birçok şekilde ve platformda tanımlamalarına ve açığa çıkarmalarına olanak sağlamıştır. Açılma olarak da adlandırılan bu süreç, kuir bir insanın hayatındaki dönüm noktalarından biri haline gelmiştir. Kuir bireyler için arz ettiği öneme rağmen, bu süreç birtakım değişkenlere bağlı olarak çeşitlilik göstermektedir. Irk, din ve aile gibi değişkenler bireylerin açılma süreci açısından çeşitli zorluklara neden olmaktadır. Benzer bir şekilde açılma sürecini ve sürecin zorluklarını ele alan Zimbabveli oyun yazarı Zodwa Nyoni, 2014te Nine Livesı kaleme almıştır. Oyunda, cinsel kimliği nedeniyle ülkesi Zimbabveden kaçan Ishmaelin yaşadıkları anlatılmaktadır. Ishmael, her ne kadar Birleşik Krallıka girmeyi başarsa da, cinsel tercihleri noktasında açılma için mücadele etmeyi sürdürmektedir. Bu makale, Nine Livesda betimlenen şekli ile açılma sürecini ve bu sürecin ve sürecin sonuçlarının kuir bireylerin hayatlarındaki iç ve dış faktörlerden nasıl etkilendiğini incelemektedir.

Article Details

To Come Out or Not to Come Out: Queer Coming Out in Nine Lives by Zodwa Nyoni

Authors:

Emre Ozmen

Publisher:

Ataturk University

Main Topics:

Uygulamalı Tiyatro

Journal:

Theatre Academy Vol.1 Issue 1, pp.69-83

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

3/2023

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001287081

pISSN:

2980-1656

Coming Out

Queer Theory

Contemporary British Theatre

Queer Theatre

Zodwa Nyoni

Açılma

Kuir Teori

Çağdaş İngiliz Tiyatrosu

Kuir Tiyatro

Zodwa Nyoni

Issues

Article Details

Authors: Emre Ozmen

Publisher: Ataturk University

Main Topics: Uygulamalı Tiyatro

Journal: Theatre Academy Vol.1 Issue 1, pp.69-83

Document Type: Article

Publication Date: 3/2023

Document Language: English

Document ID (Org No.): 2001287081

pISSN: 2980-1656

Issues

Authors:

Emre Ozmen

Publisher:

Ataturk University

Main Topics:

Uygulamalı Tiyatro

Journal:

Theatre Academy Vol.1 Issue 1, pp.69-83

Document Type:

Article

Publication Date:

3/2023

Document Language:

English

Document ID (Org No.):

2001287081

pISSN:

2980-1656