Queering the Midwest: Forging LGBTQ Community

Queering the Midwest explores the ambivalence of LGBTQ lives in the rural Midwest, where LGBTQ organizations and events occur occasionally but are not grounded in long-standing LGBTQ institutions. It reveals the contradictions of River City's LGBTQ community, where people feel both safe and unnoticed, have a sense of belonging and persistent marginalization, and have friendships that do and don't matter. These ambivalent communities challenge the ways we think about LGBTQ communities and relationships and push us to embrace the contradictions, failures, and possibilities of LGBTQ communities across the American Midwest.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 25 October 2022
Publisher: New York University Press

River City, a small, Midwestern, postindustrial city, is home to a diverse LGBTQ community that differs significantly from those in larger cities with established gayborhoods. Despite the city's predominantly white, working-class Catholic population, which is often associated with conservative sexual politics, LGBTQ residents of River City describe it as a progressive, welcoming, and safe space. The city boasts active LGBTQ youth groups and regular drag shows that test the capacity of bars. However, Queering the Midwest reveals the ambivalence of LGBTQ lives in the rural Midwest, where LGBTQ organizations and events occur occasionally but are not grounded in long-standing LGBTQ institutions. Drawing on in-depth interviews and ethnographic observation, Clare Forstie offers the story of a community that does not fit neatly into a narrative of progress or decline. Instead, this book reveals the contradictions of River City's LGBTQ community, where people feel both safe and unnoticed, have a sense of belonging and persistent marginalization, and have friendships that do and don't matter. These ambivalent communities in small Midwestern cities challenge the ways we think about LGBTQ communities and relationships and push us to embrace the contradictions, failures, and possibilities of LGBTQ communities across the American Midwest.

Weight: 366g
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 18 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781479801879