Farm boys lives of gay men from the rural Midwest
Many of the men in this book no longer live in farm communities. From their urban homes, they consider their gains and losses in leaving rural life. Of those who remain in farm communities, some live quite openly in gay relationships or by themselves; others keep their sexual identity secret from th...
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Format: | eBook |
Language: | English |
Published: |
Madison, Wiscinsin
University of Wisconsin Press
[1996], 1996
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Collection: | JSTOR Open Access Books - Collection details see MPG.ReNa |
Summary: | Many of the men in this book no longer live in farm communities. From their urban homes, they consider their gains and losses in leaving rural life. Of those who remain in farm communities, some live quite openly in gay relationships or by themselves; others keep their sexual identity secret from their families and neighbors. Their stories reveal with candor and insight the diversity of gay men's lives and show how growing up gay in the Midwest has changed over the course of the century Looking back on boyhood, these men recall how they experienced and responded to a variety of limiting conditions common to rural life: rigid gender roles, social isolation, ethnic homogeneity and racism, suspicion of the unfamiliar, sexual prudishness, religious conservatism, and scant access to information. At the same time, many speak with pleasure of their accomplishments in farm and home activities, their love for the rural landscape and its elbowroom, and their appreciation of strong ties to family, church, and community Homosexuality is often seen as a purely urban experience, far removed from rural and small-town life. Farm Boys undermines that cliche by telling the stories of more than three dozen gay men, ranging in age from 24 to 84, who grew up in farm families in the midwestern United States. These men speak of the ways their farm upbringings influenced the course and character of their lives, especially with regard to gender identity and sexual orientation. Whether painful, funny, or matter-of-fact, their plain-spoken accounts will move and educate any reader, gay or not, from farm or city |
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Item Description: | The Cushing Library/Women & Gender Studies copy was acquired as part of The Don Kelly Research Collection of Gay Literature and Culture. - Master and use copy. Digital master created according to Benchmark for Faithful Digital Reproductions of Monographs and Serials, Version 1. Digital Library Federation, December 2002 |
Physical Description: | xxix, 316 pages illustrations |
ISBN: | 0299150836 0299150801 0299150844 9780299150839 9780299150846 9780299150808 |