You Too Smart to Be Straight, You Must Be Gay”: The Alabama Black Belt, the School, Black Masculinity, and Identity Regulation through Gender Performance

• In Event: Gay Male Teachers in the South and Beyond

Abstract

Culture writes the South’s menu, defines character, and determines the acceptable alternatives; thus Sears (1990) suggest that critical attention must be paid to the formation of sexual identities in the South. Moreover, gender and gender norms take on an important role in the lives of Black gay/queer and it affects their daily experiences, guide their beliefs and interactions, and simultaneously shapes their sexual identities. Within the confines of gender, there are notable guidelines that act as a component in the social programming, regulation of identities, and social controlling of men and women. Thus engaging with narrative methodologies, queer of color critique, and intersectionality, this paper examines and provides an analysis of Black, gay/queer men’s experiences and how their experiences shape their sexual identities regarding gender performance, conformance and non-conformance to gender norms in the Alabama Black Belt Region.

Author

• Shelton K Johnson, The State University of New York at New Paltz