{"id":2078,"date":"2018-06-25T08:00:49","date_gmt":"2018-06-25T13:00:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/?p=2078"},"modified":"2018-06-23T22:14:59","modified_gmt":"2018-06-24T03:14:59","slug":"queer-in-the-country","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thesocietypages.org\/trot\/2018\/06\/25\/queer-in-the-country\/","title":{"rendered":"Queer in the Country"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Photo by Avi, Flickr CC<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

From PRIDE parades to drag brunch, we tend associate queer people and queer-friendly places with cities. While some LGBTQ individuals do migrate to the metros, many also reside in rural America. Social scientists illustrate how queerness in the country functions differently than in the hustle and bustle of the city.<\/span><\/p>\n

Distinguishing urban and rural is one way that LGBTQ people construct their identities in the context of small towns. Some feel that the popular images of gay individuals in urban spaces partying and enjoying nightlife are extreme and run contradictory to the experiences of queer folk who live quieter lives. Others feel that city gay bars are more impersonal than local small-town dive bars. Like in the show Cheers where \u201ceveryone knows your name,\u201d a person\u2019s character and long-term local status seems to matter more than their sexual orientation. In addition, some gay and lesbian individuals choose to return to their rural roots after trying out city life and rationalize this choice by deciding not to conform to cultural, urban-based understandings of what being gay means.<\/h5>\n