Everywhere and Nowhere…All at Once

Exploring the Role of Visibility in Rural Queer Narratives

Authors

  • Clint Whitten Virginia Tech

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.3776/tpre.2022.v13n1p32-51

Keywords:

Queer, rural, k-12 schools, visibility, identity, well-being

Abstract

Following the tragedy of another shooting that happened in a visibly Queer space, this study explores how Queerness in rural spaces generates a spectrum of visibility. Men in Place (2019) by Miriam Abelson and Out in the Country: Youth Media and Queer Visibility in Rural America (2009) by Mary Gray, personal narratives/podcasts cultivated by Country Queers, and “place histories” such as Brandon Teena and Matthew Shepard which were highly visible cases of rural Queer overkill, are used as objects of study to explore the role and function of visibility in rural contexts. After exploring these rural Queer-centric narratives, I generated three thematic categories: working to preserve Queer comfort in rural spaces, identity work of rural Queerness, and fears and spaces of violence. I conclude by using the three categories to offer three implications for educational practices to complicate our understanding of Queer visibility in rural schools.

Author Biography

Clint Whitten, Virginia Tech

Clint Whitten is a doctoral student in Foundations of Education at Virginia Tech with a focus on the intersections of Queerness and rurality. He has taught middle school English, creative writing, and theatre and is currently teaching a social educational foundations course at Virginia Tech. He also helps implement youth initiatives at the Center for Rural Education at Virginia Tech.

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Published

2023-06-19

How to Cite

Clint Whitten. (2023). Everywhere and Nowhere…All at Once: Exploring the Role of Visibility in Rural Queer Narratives . Theory & Practice in Rural Education, 13(1), 32–51. https://doi.org/10.3776/tpre.2022.v13n1p32-51

Issue

Vol. 13 No. 1 (2023): Elevating Voices within our Diverse Tapestry of Rurality

Section

Research Forum

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Copyright (c) 2023 Clint Whitten

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