num_pages: 232
description: River City is a small Midwestern postindustrial city surrounded by green hills and farmland with a population of just over 50000. Most River City residents are white working-class Catholics a demographic associated with conservative sexual politics. Yet LGBTQ residents of River City describe it as a progressive welcoming and safe space with active LGBTQ youth groups and regular drag shows that test the capacity of bars.In this compelling examination of LGBTQ communities in seemingly unfriendly places Queering the Midwest highlights the ambivalence of LGBTQ lives in the rural Midwest where LGBTQ organizations and events occur occasionally but are generally not grounded in long-standing LGBTQ institutions. Drawing on in-depth interviews and ethnographic observation Clare Forstie offers the story of a community that does not fit neatly into a narrative of progress or decline. Rather this book reveals the contradictions of River Citys LGBTQ community where people feel both safe and unnoticed have a sense of belonging and persistent marginalization and have friendships that do and dont matter. These ambivalent communities in small Midwestern cities challenge the ways we think about LGBTQ communities and relationships and push us to embrace the contradictions failures and possibilities of LGBTQ communities across the American Midwest.
language: English
title: Queering the Midwest: Forging LGBTQ Community
publisher: NYU Press