W0054_Transcript |
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Object Description
Interview no. | W-0054 |
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 November 2004 |
Interviewee | Jeryl. |
Interviewee occupation | Unknown |
Interviewee DOB | 1971 |
Interviewee ethnicity | African Americans |
Interviewer | Johnson, E. Patrick, 1967- |
Abstract | Jeryl was born in 1971 in Americus, Ga. to middle class parents. Jeryl attended integrated schools and states that while the town itself was segregated, he never got the sense that racism was a problem. Church was very important to his life and it was never a question of if he would go to church, it was a question of which one. In middle school he realized he was gay but did not tell anyone until high school for fear of the reaction. There is a large discussion on growing up in the South and what it means to be gay in the South, with Jeryl stating that he does not believe growing up gay in the South is any worse than the North because you have to go through the same experiences. He also does not believe the South is more homophobic, just more upfront about their feelings. 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 Jeryl by E. Patrick Johnson, 9 November 2004 W-0054, in the Southern Oral History Program Collection #4007, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. |
Description
Interview no. | W0054_Transcript |