W0029 |
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Object Description
Interview no. | W-0028 |
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 | October 31, 2004 |
Interviewee | Patrick. |
Interviewee occupation |
Businesspeople Gay rights activists |
Interviewee DOB | 1966 |
Interviewee ethnicity | African Americans |
Interviewer | Johnson, E. Patrick, 1967- |
Abstract | Patrick is a gay, black man from Vidalia, GA. During his childhood the town was segregated and the Klan was active, burning crosses and throwing things from cars. His parents taught him not to hate white people but to be proud of who he was, and that someday he would get out. He relates how an effeminate male florist's assistant was accepted by the town. He loved church and had a progressive experience where the adults liked for the children to ask questions. In many ways his upbringing was progressive as well- his mother was liberal regarding many issues and one day came in and told him that he never needed to get married if he did not want to. It took a long while before that for him to get over his own homophobic feelings, and credits not having negative influences from adults. Everyone in his family knows he is out, but it is not a topic of conversation. Though he considers Atlanta home and is happy living in the South, his corporate job requires a lot of travel both domestic and international, which he enjoys. He discusses acceptance of his sexuality by straight black males and the surprise he feels at that when it happens, as well as how the term “DL” is not a good expression of what people are trying to get at. Much of his interview centers around his ten years as an black gay rights activist in Atlanta, and he emphasizes that the reason he stepped away from activism and into business was because he became convinced that economic power is the only way forward for under-served groups. 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 Patrick by E. Patrick Johnson, October 31, 2004 W-0028, in the Southern Oral History Program Collection #4007, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. |
Description
Interview no. | W0029 |