W0057_Transcript |
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Object Description
Interview no. | W-0057 |
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 | 18 August 2004 |
Interviewee | Jonathan. |
Interviewee occupation | Architects and builders |
Interviewee DOB | 1974 |
Interviewee ethnicity | African Americans |
Interviewer | Johnson, E. Patrick, 1967- |
Abstract | Jonathan was born in 1974 in Houston, Tex. to a middle class family and currently lives in North Carolina. Jonathan attended mostly black schools but grew up in a white neighborhood. Jonathan was raised a Catholic and he explains how the Catholic rites and sacraments such as First Communion played a large role in his upbringing. However, Jonathan did not necessarily like going to church and when his mom forced him into the choir his disdain only grew. Currently he is not a practicing Catholic and he believes that the church uses homosexuality as a way to make people feel regret and guilty about their lives. Jonathan still believes in God, however, claiming that he believes God created homosexual people for a reason and only He knows what is normal and what the truth is. Jonathan states that he always knew he was gay but did not act on it until college. As of the time of the interview, Jonathan has not come out to his family but he believes they know because they never ask about marriage or children. Parts of the interview discuss the gay community in the south. Jonathan explains how he tries to create a sense of community among black gay men by hosting parties and potlucks at his house. Jonathan himself takes a conservative approach to gay issues, explaining that he is against gay marriage because marriage has already been defined as a union between man and woman. 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 Jonathan by E. Patrick Johnson, 18 August 2004 W-0057, in the Southern Oral History Program Collection #4007, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. |
Description
Interview no. | W0057_Transcript |