Being a civil guard in spain from a perspective of sexual and gender diversity: a qualitative sociological approach

Abstract

This article presents the findings from a study on sexual and gender diversity within Spain’s Civil Guard. The focus is on the experiences of civil guards who assume their sexual or gender diversity in a fully masculine environment. After a theoretical reflection on the structural conditioning involved in the institutionalisation of male domination, the discourses and practices of a group of civil guards are analyzed, looking at how they perceive their differences with respect to the existing hegemonic normative mandates; how they perceive their acceptance or rejection by their colleagues and commanders, as well as their identificatory strategies to conform to dominant ideals and practices in the Civil Guard.