MARK ROEDER of Bloomington, Indiana, is the author of the “Gay Youth Chronicles,” a series of interrelated stories about gay youth coming of age in rural America over the span of fifty years. He has authored a total of nineteen novels. While the narratives reflect the improvement in living conditions for gay youths realized as a result of the GLBT civil rights movement, homophobia appears throughout the series as the defining challenge that successive generations must confront in learning to accept themselves and find love.
Roeder’s vivid and imaginative interpretations of homophobia, which is frequently personified allegorically, afford insight into the condition as a lived reality particularly for gay young people growing up in America’s heartland. His website is at www.markroeder.com.
Don Gorton: Homophobia is a major actor in the “Gay Youth Chronicles.” How prevalent do you think it still is in small-town culture and in American society in general?
Mark Roeder: Homophobia is more prevalent in small-town culture than in urban areas because there is less exposure to gay people in small towns. Many of those who live in less populated areas don’t have the contact with gays that’s necessary for understanding to develop. As a result, these individuals tend to believe in long-perpetuated stereotypes that cast gays in the worst possible light. One is far more likely to be exposed to gay culture in a larger city and therefore have a greater understanding of what it means to be gay. Ignorance breeds fear.
DG: How far has our society come over the fifty-year period covered by the “Gay Youth Chronicles”?
MR: Very far. Each generation is wiser and more accepting of diversity than the last. Decades ago, being out in high school was a virtual impossibility. Even in the early 1980’s, one of the main periods covered in my novels, being out was usually hazardous to one’s health. In many high schools today being gay isn’t that big of a deal, and a great many students consider themselves to be bisexual. It’s now possible to have sexual experiences with members of the same sex without considering oneself gay or even bi. Prejudice is being eroded as more and more people understand just what it means to be gay. There has been a concerted effort on the part of certain groups, namely some religious and “family values” groups, to cast gays as demons. Greater exposure to the fact that gays are just like everyone else in virtually all aspects of life is destroying this misinformation. Religious objections have come under close scrutiny and have been found to lack a factual basis. Each generation is better informed than the last and therefore less ignorant of other groups.
DG: What are the source experiences that inform your understanding of homophobia?
MR: I attended a rural high school in the 1980’s where minorities were a rarity. There was not a single out gay boy in a school with some 1,000 students. Few students dared to be different. To my knowledge, not a single boy in the school dared to wear an earring. Even those who dressed a little too neatly or were too friendly with girls (outside of trying to score) were suspected of homosexuality. In my school, boys didn’t even consider coming out. It wasn’t a possibility. To do so would have been to make oneself a target of verbal and, quite possibly, physical abuse. I walked through the halls each day never knowing if my friends would remain my friends if they knew the truth about me. I didn’t live in fear of being found out, because I never considered coming out. School for me was an environment of oppression. The greatest insult was to be called “gay” or “homo” or any of the more vulgar words for gays.
In addition, much of my understanding comes from experiences related to me by readers. I receive a great deal of e-mail, because I make myself accessible to those who read my books. It’s not uncommon for readers to share with me their own experience with homophobia.
DG: Where do you think homophobia comes from?
MR: Homophobia comes from ignorance and misinformation. Those who have family members or friends who are gay are much less likely to be homophobic. They realize that gays are not monsters, not God-haters, and don’t stalk children. Gays go to school and work like everyone else. They have hobbies. They like to have fun. They want to love and be loved. They value their families. They are, in short, just like non-gays except they are attracted to members of their own sex.
Homophobia is largely manufactured by hate groups. For many years, continuing into the present day, there has been a great effort to demonize gays. Gays are cast in the worst possible light by the prejudiced. These prejudiced individuals and groups spew forth misinformation, hoping that, if it’s repeated loudly and often enough, it will be taken as fact. But homophobia disappears when the facts are brought to light. The story of Sodom and Gomorrah is a prime example. This story is one basis for the religious objection to homosexuality. When examined, however, it is clear that the story is not about homosexuality at all, but about inhospitality. It’s about treating others with kindness, compassion, and respect. As such falsehoods are exposed to the light of day, acceptance increases.
DG: What are the ways in which homophobia can have an impact on the lesbian or gay person coming of age in small town America?
MR: The effects can be devastating. This is why groups who spread misinformation are such a menace. Homophobia increases the occurrence of gay teen suicide and sometimes does irreparable damage to self-esteem. It causes untold emotional pain. Some teens have the ability to push aside homophobia and understand that the problem lies not with themselves but with the ignorant and prejudiced, but even these youths can suffer from verbal and physical abuse created by homophobia. This is why it is so important to get the truth out there and let gay youths know that they’re okay.
DG: Characters in the “Chronicles” employ an array of strategies for combating homophobia. One character, an immensely strong gay youth called Skye, intervenes in episodes of anti-gay violence both to rescue victims and punish aggressors. How far are we justified in going in our own self-defense, or the defense of each other?
MR: Violence leads to greater violence. We all need to defend ourselves when attacked and come to the defense of others, but there is great danger of sinking to the level of the violent. It’s a balancing act of protecting oneself and others without becoming the aggressor. We must be better than those who attack us and hold ourselves to a higher standard.
DG: What do you think are some effective ways in which a gay or lesbian teen coming out in small-town America can cope with homophobia?
MR: Education is key. Teens should not take what they are told or what they see on TV at face value. Lies are constantly spread about gays by sources that should be truthful and reliable. There are many people who believe that saying something makes it so, but this is simply not true. If teens question and look for answers themselves, they will have gone a long way in coping with homophobia.
DG: How can LGBT adults help isolated sexual minority youth who are struggling with homophobia all on their own?
MR: One of the best ways to help is simply to let young people know that they’re okay. They aren’t evil, they aren’t unnatural, they aren’t monsters. Homosexuality is natural; it exists in numerous species; it has existed throughout time. In many times and places in the past, it has been accepted or even preferred. As for religious objections, I found a quote long ago that sums things up nicely. I don’t know who said it first, but it’s really all that needs to be said about homosexuality and religion: “God created gays, and God doesn’t make mistakes.”
DG: Perhaps the single most diabolical villain in the Gay Youth Chronicles once experienced homosexual attractions that he couldn’t handle. Is latent homosexuality a root cause of homophobia in your view?
MR: An individual’s inability to accept his or her sexual orientation can create tremendous homophobia. “Methinks thou dost protest too much” is an apt phrase. Those who are the most vehemently anti-gay are often trying to hide their own homosexuality, often from themselves. This inner conflict and desperation can lead to extreme violence.
DG: Many of your villains are jocks. Do you think athletes as a group are more prone to homophobia than others?
MR: I believe athletes are more prone to posturing and demonstrating their masculinity than others. I do not believe athletes are more prone to homophobia, however. In the past, perhaps this group was more homophobic, but if anything I think the opposite is true now. The villains in my novels are often jocks because they make for good villains. Jocks are by definition physically strong and therefore pose a greater threat. It should be noted that a great many of my main gay characters are also jocks.
DG: How is fiction useful in illuminating aspects of homophobia that we might otherwise fail to see?
MR: It’s one thing to tell and quite another to show. The message of my first novel [in 2002], The Soccer Field Is Empty, can be distilled down to the simple message: “Words can kill.” I could have saved a great amount of effort by merely stating this idea, but demonstrating it in action allows for true understanding. Fiction allows one to walk a mile in another’s shoes. I often get comments from heterosexual readers along the lines of: “I never realized it was like that for gays.” Simply stating a fact isn’t enough to get the point across. The point must be demonstrated. Fiction makes this possible.
DG: In your novels, love conquers all, even homophobia. Your characters are resilient in the face of daunting troubles, and they triumph in the end. In the real world, do you think we will ever get beyond homophobia?
MR: Homophobia is doomed. Its extinction won’t happen tomorrow, or next year, or even in the next ten years, but its chances for survival closely approach zero. Even now, understanding and acceptance are spreading. This is one reason why so called “family values” groups and anti-gay groups who claim religious objections are so desperate to legislate discrimination. This is why there is such a concerted effort to deny gays the right of marriage. Homophobia is disappearing and the prejudiced know it. They are fighting for their “right” to discriminate and abuse because they know such things will not be tolerated by the larger society for much longer. It’s very important that we fight for our rights, but no matter what anti-gay laws are created, they will undoubtedly be struck down in the future. Just look at other minorities: how they’ve been treated in the past, the unfair laws that discriminated against them, and how all such laws have eventually been overturned and, finally, seen as an embarrassment. Homophobia hasn’t much chance of surviving into the next century.
Don Gorton is a longtime gay rights activist and the founder of the Anti-Violence Project in Boston.
