Masqueraded Identities: Explicating Queer in Damilare Kuku’s “Beard Gang”

Abstract

This paper examines the representation of queer consciousness and performative identity in Damilare Kuku’s short story “Beard Gang,” a story in the collection Nearly All the Men in Lagos Are Mad. Drawing on queer theory, particularly Judith Butler’s concept of performativity, the study explores how characters construct masqueraded identities in order to conform to heteronormative expectations enforced by culture, religion, patriarchy, and social surveillance. Through qualitative textual analysis, the paper interrogates themes of secrecy, emotional fragmentation, performative masculinity, and social camouflage, revealing how queer individuals negotiate survival within an environment hostile to non-normative sexualities. The study finds that Kuku portrays queer concealment as a survival mechanism necessitated by societal intolerance and demonstrates that performative heterosexuality often produces emotional instability, fractured relationships, and psychological isolation. The paper further finds that patriarchy negatively affects both queer individuals and women who become participants in deceptive social arrangements designed to maintain public respectability. The study concludes that “Beard Gang,” is an important contribution to contemporary African queer literature because it humanizes marginalized identities while critiquing the rigid structures that suppress authenticity and emotional freedom. The paper recommends increased scholarly engagement with African queer narratives, greater literary openness toward marginalized identities, and the promotion of inclusive social conversations that encourage empathy, visibility, and human dignity.