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Object Description
Interview no. | W-0044 |
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 | 2004 |
Interviewee | Dan |
Interviewee occupation |
Business owners Real estate agents |
Interviewee DOB | 1943 |
Interviewee ethnicity | African Americans |
Interviewer | Johnson, E. Patrick, 1967- |
Abstract | Dan was born in Durham, N.C. in 1943. Dan grew up in the heyday of Durham, a progressive black town in the conservative South. His mother was a nurse, his father a brick mason, and his grandmother played a very important role in his upbringing. Dan states that early on he knew he was different because he liked to play with the girls and liked their activities better. Dan states that his parents might not have necessarily agreed with his lifestyle but it was never mentioned; they just wanted him to keep it discreet so as not to concern his grandmother. However, Dan believes that his grandmother always knew he was gay. There is a lot of discussion about growing up in the segregated South, with Dan stating that he believes Durham was truly separate but equal. He never felt like he was missing out on anything and never wanted anything from the white side of town. After high school, Dan moved to New York City, where he mentions that many black gay men there wanted to date white men and were not looking for a relationship. This caused him to move to Puerto Rico, where he met his long-term partner, Richard. Richard and Dan were together for 25 years and lived in Oakland running a disco in the 1970s and selling real estate. To Dan, church was very important to his life because church was the center of the black community. He always enjoyed going, even if the preacher was preaching against gays because he believes that God does not make mistakes. 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 Dan by E. Patrick Johnson, 2004 W-0044, in the Southern Oral History Program Collection #4007, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. |
Description
Interview no. | W0044_Transcript |