In this paper, I look at the construction of lesbian subjectivity through the media discourse. Media has simultaneously reflected the lives of homosexual individuals and moulded stereotypical subjects through distorted representations. This paper explores the social context related to addressing same-sex desires and looks at the ways the representation of the lesbian subject has evolved in media. The paper analyses how hetero-normative dominant ideology often looks at lesbian subjects as “deviants”. It tries to explain how factors such as gender and caste contribute to the disciplining of sexuality.
The paper broadly analyses the disciplining of sexuality in the context of events of lesbian suicides and other lesbian issues in Kerala. It looks at how Kerala society disciplines lesbian individuals through marginalisation, exclusion, and violence, which lead to the suicide or death of such individuals. The paper analyses how different institutions intervene in confirming women as ‘normal’ heterosexual agents of society and the vigilance exerted by society to control sexuality. The paper further looks at the role of media in maintaining /reproducing gender and sexual order in Kerala society.
