The Toxic Closet: Being Gay in the Bible Belt

The University of Kentucky's Cat's Den was at a capacity crowd of two hundred tonight for Dr. Bernadette Barton's lecture "Toxic Closet: Being Gay in the Bible Belt." Dr. Barton, a UK graduate and member of the Morehead State University faculty, spoke about gay identities and social and cultural backlash against homosexuals.

The lecture focused on personal accounts of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender) people from the Bible Belt, an area that is about one quarter of the landmass of the United States from the south east to the mid west. These people struggle daily with "coming out" which contrary to common perception is an ongoing process, Dr. Barton described for herself and LGBT people.

Barton juxtaposed homophobic and anti-gay messages with the often deeply personal accounts of the people she interviewed in her research. She illustrated the familial and social pressures created by fundamentalist communities and their effects on LGBT individuals, showing that, in the end, tolerance and acceptance benefits not only them, but their families, friends and communities.

Barton became interested in researching this topic in 2004 after the campaign for, and passage of Kentucky's marriage amendment. As a Kentuckian and lesbian, she was curious about the larger social implications of the anti-gay messages that were commonplace in the weeks leading up to the election.

The event, sponsored by UK KFTC along with UK's Outsource, UK Student Government, The Cats Den, UK College Democrats and Fayette county Young Democrats, successfully brought two hundred people out on a cold, rainy Monday night.

We hope to be able to add a video of the presentation to our blog in the coming days.

Also, there will be another presentation on Wednesday evening on Murray State University's campus at 7 p.m. in Room 208 of Faculty Hall.

                                    - By KFTC Members Danny Cotton and Jordan Panning