Out In The South

255 Pages·2001·30.66 MB·English

by  Carlos Dews

in the
Out in the South
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Out
in the
South
EDITED BY
Carlos L. Dews and Carolyn Leste Law
TEMPLE UNIVERSITY PRESS
PHILADELPHIA
CopyrightedMaterial
TempleUniversityPress,Philadelphia19122
Copyright©2001byTempleUniversity
Allrightsreserved
Published2001
PrintedintheUnitedStatesofAmerica
l€ ThepaperusedinthispublicationmeetstherequirementsoftheAmerican
NationalStandardforInformationSciences-PermanenceofPaperforPrinted
LibraryMaterials,ANSIZ39.48-1984.
LibraryofCongressCataloging-in-PublicationData
OutintheSouth/ editedbyCarlosL.DewsandCarolynLesteLaw
p. cm.
Includesbibliographicalreferences.
ISBN1-56639-813-4(cl. :alk.paper)- ISBN1-56639-814-2(pbk. :alk.paper)
1. Gays-SouthernStates. 2. Gaymen-SouthernStates. 3. Lesbians-
SouthernStates. 4· Homosexuality-SouthernStates. 1. Dews,CarlosL.,
1963- . II. Law,CarolynLeste,1961-
HQ76.3.U52.S276 2001
306·76'6'0975-dC21
00-037706
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Contents
Acknowledgments vii
INTRODUCTION 1
Carolyn Leste Law
Part I: Claiming Queer Space in a Hostile Place
EMMETT'S STORY: RUSSELL COUNTY, ALABAMA 9
Joseph Beam
OUT IN THE MOUNTAINS: EXPLORING LESBIAN
AND GAY LIVES 16
Kate BlackandMarcA. Rhorer
CLAIMING SPACE IN THE SOUTH: A CONVERSATION
AMONG MEMBERS OF ASIAN/PACIFIC ISLANDER LESBIAN,
BISEXUAL, TRANSGENDERED NETWORK OF ATLANTA 26
Patti Duncan
WOMEN'S FESTIVALS ON THE FRONT LINES 56
BonnieJ. Morris
RACE AND GAY COMMUNITY IN SOUTHERN TOWN 72
David Knapp Whittier
Part II: Striking Out/Striking Back
LEAVING THE CONFEDERATE CLOSET 97
BonnieR. Strickland
BLACK GAY MEN AND WHITE GAY MEN:
A LESS THAN PERFECT UNION 115
Charles I. Nero
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VI CONTENTS
SAME DIFFERENCE: MY SOUTHERN QUEER STORIES 127
Donna Smith
TENNESSEE WILLIAMS DOESN'T LIVE HERE ANYMORE:
HYPOCRISY, PARADOX, AND HOMOSEXUAL PANIC
IN THE NEW/ OLD SOUTH 144
James R. Keller
Part III: Representing Queer Lives in Public Space
GREETINGS FROM OUT HERE: SOUTHERN LESBIANS
AND GAYS BEAR WITNESS TO THE PUBLIC SECRET 159
R. Bruce Brasell
LOOKING FOR A CITY: THE RITUAL AND POLITICS
OF ETHNOGRAPHY 173
EdwardR. Gray
FROM SOUTHERN BAPTIST BELLE TO BUTCH
(AND BEYOND) 185
LauraMilner
"LINES I DARE": SOUTHERN LESBIAN WRITING 204
Mab Segrest
MYTH AND REALITY: THE STORY OF GAY PEOPLE
IN THE SOUTH 229
Jim Grimsley
AFTERWORD 236
Carlos L. Dews
About theContributors 241
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Acknowledgments
Thank you to Deborah Burlison and Linda Uebelsteadt for their patient assistance;
the faculty, staff, and administrators at the University ofWest Florida for their sup
port and encouragement; and MichaelAmes at TempleUniversityPress for sharing
ourenthusiasmforthisproject.Mostofall,thankstoDianaSwanson,whosesupport
neverfalters, and to William Lamar PolkIII for arriving along with the idea for this
book.
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Out in the South
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