Abstract
The title of this thesis, “Interpreted Identities”, refers to how individuals tend to be read into categories of identity based on the idea that we constitute seemingly coherent features of sex, gender, and sexuality, and how individuals who deviate from this coherent norm, such as homosexuals, become interpreted as Other or deviant. The thesis discusses Edward Albee's 'Who's Afraid of Virginia Wolf', Mart Crowley's 'The Boys in the Band', and Tony Kushner's 'Angels in America' to see whether the presentation of homosexuality develops positively, i.e. in a way that proves liberating. I argue that only when we see a move away from essentialist and binary conceptions of identity, and only when characters are depicted as challenging hetero-normative social practices, can homosexuality be presented in a liberating manner. The thesis uses the Stonewall Riots as its historical milestone to explore this development, as this event is recognized as the moment which saw the emergence of “gay identity” and as an important marker of homosexual liberation.