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We’re Here Too: 9 Queer Memoirs From Red Areas

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I’m a queer individual living in a deeply red area of Georgia, in the foothills of

October is queer history month, and in a time where queer books are being banned left and

Just like Black people and Latine individuals, queer people have always lived in conservative areas

Country queers carve out a space for ourselves and build a culture much the way city queers

We’re here, we’re queer, and lord willing and the crick don’t rise, we’re

Despite the stereotype, Appalachia isn’t the white monolith it seems to be, and Neema is proof

It balances humor and harshness masterfully and challenges you to re-examine your beliefs about the area

They’re not actively hostile, but are also waiting for you to move on from this silly

Past memories are intertwined in with the present as Hoffert comes to terms with her sexuality in

Being Black and queer? Far, far more difficult than it should be

Saeed Jones knows and tells us about it in vignettes about trying to find a place to

Brian Broome grew up in Ohio, and he lays out his youth intermingled with vignettes of watching

He also confronts his own internalized bigotry on the pages, laying out the shame, awkwardness, and confusion

You probably heard of his advice column by the same name, a sort of “Dear Abby” for

I read a few of the stories, and let me tell y’all: they were wild

Casey Parks tells more than just her story in this memoir; she also digs up the story

Yet again, Appalachia is not the WASP monolith that people like to paint it as

There are queer communities carving spaces for themselves, refusing to give up land to people that would

Queer people belong in the holler alongside the trees and mountains

Like I said, Atlanta is and was a Mecca for queers in the South, and the Sweet