Farm Boys: Lives of Gay Men from the Rural Midwest Read Free

a relatively small number of subjects personally. These men were generally friends or acquaintances, or strangers referred to me by people I knew. All prospective interview subjects were sent the following letter describing the project and the interview process:
    Thanks for your interest in the Gay Farm Boys Project. This cultural research project is intended to give you—a gay man who grew up in a farming household—a chance to talk about your experiences and the ways in which your farm upbringing has influenced your life. I am gay, grew up on a dairy farm, and am an experienced interviewer and writer. Your words will be used as part of a book based on the “gay farm boys” theme.
    Life stories rooted in farm childhoods have been largely neglected in the growing literature that documents the lives of gay men in the U.S. If you grew up on a farm—whether or not you are still farming—I welcome your participation in changing this situation. Whatever your age and whatever your life is about now, your story is a unique and valuable part of gay culture.
    Here are some basic details about being interviewed:
The interview is informal, in-depth, and is meant to be a relaxed and enjoyable experience. Please try to set aside two to three hours for it.
We can hold the interview at your home or at some other mutually agreeable location.
The format and content of the interview are flexible and specific to the individual. General areas that we are likely to cover include: childhood experiences; family relationships; parental values, beliefs and attitudes; development of your sexual awareness, understanding and self-acceptance; your present life situation, values, beliefs, attitudes, etc.
Theinterview will be recorded (audio, not video) and portions of the transcript will be used as part of a book based on the “gay farm boys” theme.
There is no payment for being interviewed or for any use that may be made of the content of the interview, but your participation will be duly acknowledged.
If you desire anonymity, names and other key details of your story can be changed. At the interview, we will come to an agreement about these matters—on which you are free to change your mind later.
If you would like further information, please contact me at the address or phone number listed above.
    Between the spring of 1992 and the autumn of 1993, I conducted interviews with seventy-five men from rural farming backgrounds. Ages of subjects ranged from twenty-five to eighty-four years, with men in their twenties, thirties, and forties representing more than three-quarters of those interviewed. All subjects were European-American, reflecting the vastly dominant ethnic profile of the rural farming population in the mid-western U.S.
    Most of the men I interviewed lived in, or near, relatively large mid-western cities and were no longer engaged in farming. This prevailing profile may result from a number of factors. First, this research project was publicized in gay and lesbian community publications centered primarily in larger cities. In addition, a greater proportion of gay-identified men from rural farming backgrounds may live in larger cities rather than small cities and towns or rural areas. Further, several men living in small towns and rural areas declined to be interviewed for reasons that appeared to center around concern about their identities being revealed.
    The men I interviewed seemed to possess a wide range of sometimes mixed motives for agreeing to participate: they hoped that by telling their stories they could contribute to illuminating people’s minds and hearts, thus making a positive difference for future generations; they were simply responding enthusiastically to a project that struck them as “a great idea,” and wanted to help out so that the project would be successful; they wanted to tell what they considered to be interesting stories about their lives. A self-therapeutic motive was evident in some interviews; these