Disrupting Cultural Selves: Constructing Gay and Lesbian Identities in Rural Locales

Research points to the increasing geographical diversity of gays and lesbians, in contrast to cultural narratives that link
gay and lesbian sexualities to urban spaces. Examining the sexual identity constructions of rural gays and lesbians thus provides
an opportunity to analyze the connection between cultural and personal levels of narrative identity. Drawing on data from
thirty interviews with rural gays and lesbians, I address how this group negotiates cultural narratives about queerness and
constructs sexual identities in rural locales. I find that their interpretations of geography make clear distinctions between
urban/rural and draw on elements in rural culture. These interpretations provide resources to modify cultural understandings
that narrate gay/lesbian identities in rural areas as closeted, hidden, and oppressed.