In Tony Kushner’s Angels in America, the character Roy Cohn both in the book and in real life show us the consequences (real or metaphoric) of having internalized homophobia installed into gay people and how organized religion can play into that. Though for some people, like the character Joe, being raised Mormon meant being a “failure” was never an option which he exclaims when opening up to Roy, “the failure to measure up hits people very hard. From such a strong desire to be good they feel very good from farness when they fail” (Kushner 56). Joe is slowly failing at passing for straight as he has confrontations such as Louis calling him a gay republican which insults him for being assumed as gay. However slowly the truth uncovers with different stereotypes of gay men align with Joe (such as going on walks at night, is subservient to Roy and married Harper as a way to pass and to be her “savior”).
For Roy, his internalized homophobia has not only caused him to hate himself but all gay people. He has tried to separate himself as much as possible to queerness as physically possible to saying he’s a just a person who likes having sex with men and isn’t actually gay to proposing that gay people be banned from working in the government. He has separated himself so much from queerness that when he’s even diagnosed with AIDS he lies because of the association of it with gay men, “…AIDS is what homosexuals have, I have liver cancer” (Kushner 47). For Roy even being grouped with gay people was a problem because of his beliefs and his thoughts of himself.
Yet, why does this matter? Tying back to religion, the plays main plot focuses on the character Prior being chosen by the angel as the prophet when dying from AIDS. However, Roy is also dying from AIDS so why not him? Roy was not chosen because of how his self-hatred has been perpetrated onto everyone around him and that him being closeted isn’t the way god made him to be. The message of Angels of America exclaims the point that organized religion may want you to believe that your queerness is wrong, shameful, or a failure but the higher being that Roy Cohn gay did it for a reason. Angels in America tells us that truly our feelings are natural and not something to shove down or to turn into hatred. That is why Prior is chosen over Roy. Prior has accepted his identity and still has kept his humanity compared to Roy who has lost his own humanity and the humanity in others.
The tie to Mormonism which is a religion with a cult like following is an intentional choice Kushner made. Through the lens of Mormonism we see how internalized homophobia effects those who may be queer within the Latter Day Saints Church. Joe is a true victim in how he felt he had to hide his identity because of his religion and overcompensated to the point where he genuinely thought that he wasn’t gay for a time. However, unlike Roy we see the progression throughout the play of Roy accepting his queerness. Especially when he realizes and confesses his love for another man, Louis. The juxtaposition of these characters helps the audience broaden their view of what internalized homophobia is, how it can happen to people, and the different ways people deal with it. Additionally with religion circling the play helping us understand this point from different religious beliefs.
I find it really intriguing that you talk about Roy’s internalized homophobia and how it has caused him to separate from his queerness as a self-hating gay man. The separation that he is causing allows him to feel disconnected from the queer community as a whole, which is similar to Eli Clare’s childhood experiences. Although Eli Clare is not a self-hating queer man and he did not choose to isolate himself from the queer community, he definitely felt disconnected from this community when he was growing up in rural Oregon.
I find this so interesting – I have always felt like whenever I see people who are LGBTQ but disconnected from their queerness… it’s like an angel losing it’s wings. I think this trope is so common now, especially because of politics, and it’s funny like AIA heavily focuses on this trope BC IT’S REAL and it’s always a queer person in power trying to cut out other queer people (like Caitlyn Jenner for example). Internalized homophobia ruins lives and I am so tired of it. But, I am glad AIA, as popular as it is, brought this to light, and I really love your analysis of it.