W0040 |
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Object Description
Interview no. | W-0040 |
Restrictions | In-library use only. Access through the Southern Historical Collection. |
Project | W.2. LGBTQ Life in the South: Sweet Tea Interviews by E. Patrick Johnson |
Project description | Interviews, 2003-2006, conducted by E. Patrick Johnson with black gay men from the South including men from many Southern states regarding their experience of growing up gay in the South with particular focus on such topics as the influence of the church in upbringing, coming out experiences, gay vernacular, college and career in the South, gay life in small towns, segregation, gay social life, and whether the South is hospitable to gays. These interviews form the basis for Johnson's book, “Sweet Tea: Black Gay men of the South,” published in 2008 by University of North Carolina Press. |
Date | August 13, 2004 |
Interviewee | William. |
Interviewee DOB | Unknown |
Interviewee ethnicity | African Americans |
Interviewer | Johnson, E. Patrick, 1967- |
Abstract | William is a black gay man from the small North Carolina town of Jamesville. Growing up, his grandmother played a significant role as well as his aunt and his mother. His father left his mother when he was two years old, and he does not have a relationship with him. Growing up, his grandmother related tales to him of integration and her reservations about white people, implying that he had to get along with them to get ahead. His home was divided into traditional gender roles. Church was a strong influence and his grandmother made sure he was involved in the choir. He became aware of his sexual orientation in middle school. He later told his mother and she said she always knew but wanted him to tell her. His family has been pretty accepting of his sexual orientation. He met his partner in Washington, DC, at a club during a church choir trip. It is a strained long distance relationship, but they have been working hard at it. He discusses his time in college as regimented due to his scholarship status that he had to maintain, but during his senior year he broke out a little more. He discusses the inhospitable nature of the South to black gay men and his feelings about homophobic sermons. HIV/AIDs has played a significant role in his life, as most of his friends are dead now. He thinks kids are too reckless today because of availability of medication for HIV. Though he describes his childhood as “homey”, he also says that his tense relationship with his mother was a source of stress. This interview is part of the E. Patrick Johnson collection and was conducted for Johnson's book, “Sweet Tea: Black Gay Men of the South.” |
Citation | Interview with William by E. Patrick Johnson, August 13, 2004 W-0040, in the Southern Oral History Program Collection #4007, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. |
Description
Interview no. | W0040 |