W0028 |
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Object Description
Interview no. | W-0027 |
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 | May 7, 2005 |
Interviewee | Marlon. |
Interviewee occupation | Gay rights activists |
Interviewee DOB | 1956 |
Interviewee ethnicity | African Americans |
Interviewer | Johnson, E. Patrick, 1967- |
Abstract | Marlon is a black, gay man who grew up in Cuero, Texas. He grew up in a segregated community, spending a lot of time playing outdoors with his cousins. He went to segregated school for several years and when he was put in an integrated school, he and all of his black classmates were put in “slow” classes, but some of his teachers organized his removal from these and thereon he was in the class he should have been in. He describes the segregation of the town as going from rich white high ground (literally), to Hispanic middle ground, to black low ground, which was often flooded. Football united the town; every boy tried out and the whole town rallied around the games. He describes the deep sense of respect with which his parents raised him to treat others. Though he realizes the racial politics of the town were “awful”, he says he was protected from most of it. Church played a large role in his childhood. He felt isolated by his sexuality even though it was a secret; his parents condemned the homophobic behavior of a preacher. His mother was accepting of his sexuality though she did not want to discuss it. He met his partner at the University of Michigan, where he helped form a group for non-discriminatory policy into university governance. He discusses existing racial problems in the South as well as his opinions regarding “DL” or “down-low” and the free pass given to white men who do the same thing. He still has issues with preachers but considers himself a spiritual man. He credits growing up in the South with his tendency to try and allay conflict and smooth out situations. 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 Marlon by E. Patrick Johnson, May 7, 2005 W-0027, in the Southern Oral History Program Collection #4007, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. |
Description
Interview no. | W0028 |