W0050_Transcript |
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Object Description
Interview no. | W-0050 |
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 | 9 January 2005 |
Interviewee | Gerome. |
Interviewee occupation | Tailors |
Interviewee DOB | 1958 |
Interviewee ethnicity | African Americans |
Interviewer | Johnson, E. Patrick, 1967- |
Abstract | Gerome is a tailor who was born in 1958 in Tuscaloosa, Ala. His parents died when he was very young and he was raised by his oldest sister. The schools that Gerome attended were segregated and were taught by white teachers. He claims that this is one of the reasons he dropped out of high school. During his teenage years Gerome experienced both a sexual and religious awakening. He realized that he was attracted to boys and realized that there was a God at the same time. His sister never made him go to church and thus he did not grow up in the church like many other black people at the time. Gerome thinks homosexuality is morally wrong and believes that he was not wise enough to realize that his gay tendencies were unnatural. He believes that he can save himself through hard prayer and by remaining celibate. Gerome also states that he does not understand why the church preaches so vehemently against homosexuality because he believes God himself would not. He states that while he does not believe in church, he believes in God and attends church because he believes that is what God would want. Much of the interview is also spent discussing Gerome’s employment history, including his working for a Korean couple who owned a consignment store and working for the University of Alabama costume department. Many of these stories are tinged with notes of how Gerome experienced racism as opposed to any homophobic attacks. 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 Gerome by E. Patrick Johnson, 9 January 2005 W-0050, in the Southern Oral History Program Collection #4007, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. |
Description
Interview no. | W0050_Transcript |