A book after my little southern queer heart. Garringer crisscrosses the Bible Belt, collecting a scrapbook and oral history of various LGBTQ+ people living in the rural margins. The older interviewees—the elders who survived the AIDS crisis and more—are the best and most emotional part. It’s easy to get miffed when people act like the Brooklyn or San Francisco subcultures are the only ones that matter, or like gay and trans people don’t exist in the south except to be persecuted. Yes, the political climate is often dire, and there is a wealth of queer culture, community, and joy in the smallest and southernest of places. This documents the lived reality of the former with a celebration of the latter.
ARC kindly provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.