RG: I suppose that anyone’s history is com
plex enough it can’t be readily summarized
in a phrase or even a sentence. Certainly
“Butterfly Boy” is about coming out of the
closet, just like the butterfly emerges out of
the cocoon, but it’s also about migration,
maturity and education. I like to think of
my story as a part of a larger one — a per
son within a family within a community
within a country — but as lived through a
young man who seeks out the freedom to be
himself.
In Latino families, especially in working
class ones like mine, gender roles are critical
because it’s one of those things we feel we
have control over. We are powerless in so
many other ways. So when a young boy
defies or challenges those expectations, this
affront is not dealt with gently. And then
there is also the role of the Catholic Church
to contend with. But nowadays I don’t have
to say much about religious hypocrisy since
priests are doing such a fine job of it on
their own.
Q: The power of this book will appeal
to a variety of queer and non-queer
readers, but it feels like it will be
especially powerful and encouraging
for young queer Chicanos or Chicanas.
In your opinion, are things getting
easier or more difficult for young
gays and lesbians in Latino communi
ties and in general?
RG: I am constantly amazed at the resources
available to young queer people today
through the internet, the mass media, the
library, etc. Kids are coming out sooner and
Q - L I V I N G
part of the reason is that queerness doesn’t
seem as threatening or foreign as it once did.
When I travel on lectures or book tours, I
make it clear I’m a gay man because I know
how important it is to have role models and
to see someone else be comfortable with
their sexuality.
But, I wouldn’t have to do that if it were
easier nowadays to come out. So, 1 suspect
that despite the familiarity with the
lifestyle, it’s still a difficult step to make. All
the rest of us can do is keep being visible
and supportive.
Q: The way you so evocatively
describe your relationship with books
as a child, the imaginary space they
provided, hint a little bit as to how
'you came to writing. Tell us about the
process of becoming a writer.
RG: In “Butterfly Boy” I explain that I became
an avid reader as a way of attaining some pri
vacy, not only from my crowded household
but also from my secret, my sexuality. What a
surprise to suddenly feel the urge to write and
not simply read! I suppose it was out of
respect and admiration for this skill — yet
another way I could affirm my individuality.
It’s actually a very small leap from reader to
writer.
1 started taking writing seriously in col
lege, where I also learned about the MFA pro
grams, where writers learn about the profes
sion and the possibility of a career as a writer.
Part of that training is to explore writers who
want to keep you writing. For me it was the
Chicano poets Lorna Dee Cervantes, Francisco
X. Alarcdn, Pat Mora, Gary Soto and Alberto
Rios. Not only were they my favorite poets,
they also became my teachers and mentors. I
came away from college an artist with politics
and passion.
Q: As a writer you’ve worked in some
really diverse genres. Do any of your
other books explore similar territory
to “Butterfly Boy?” Also, what can we
expect from you next?
RG: My poetry book “Other Fugitives and
Other Strangers” is a companion piece to
“Butterfly Boy” in that it engages the com
plex love-hate emotions between gay lovers
in a complicated relationship. The pieces
alternate from the voice of the victimizer to
the voice of the victim to the voice of ambi
guity, because sometimes we play both
roles in a dysfunctional relationship. I also
have a forthcoming book of stories, “Men
Without Bliss,” in which a number of the
protagonists are young and gay, but quite
different, I hope, from the young man in
“Butterfly Boy.”
I’m now working on a second book of non
fiction about grief and loss.-There is a chapter
in there updating the father-son thread in
“Butterfly Boy” (my father was diagnosed with
Parkinson’s disease about five years ago and
that has strained our relationship in another
way), a chapter on my love life as an adult gay
man and a chapter about one of my literary
heroes, Truman Capote, the queen of wit, but
also of sadness. I
info:
“Butterfly Boy: Memories of a Chicano
Mariposa”
by Rigoberto Gonzalez
University of Wisconsin Press, $24.95
GOOD TASTE
Cake Designs
• Anniversaries
• Committment Ceremonies
• Holy Unions
• (Special Occasions
..^scauie occaUon [tE Jom tviiJj
GOOD TASTE
919.489.5778 • gtcd@aol.com
www.goodtastecakedesigns.com
GOOD TASTE CAKE DESIGNS. LLC DURHAM, NO
__
A Iwin Oalcs Canipg"ouncl j
jU North Carolina’s first private |
clotfingoptional campground for men only. I
www.ourtwinoalc5.com f
l_
PO. 5ox 5onlee, NC 27215 1
twiroalcs@rtelco.net Reserve online or call: (919) 74-2-5205 |
Jane Kenan
A sales professional and 29-year Triangle'resident
(888) 295-2345
(919) 424-8110
jkenan@mindspring.com
Hodge & Kittrell
Realtors
Isychotherapy
For the Gay, Lesbian &
Bisexual Communities
Fear, Loneliness,
Coming Out, HIV,
Sexual Concerns,
Relationship Problems,
Addicbon
Mike Katz, Ph.D.
Licensed Psychologist
(919) 781-0852
Insurance/Sliding Scale
Charlotte Jordan, LCSW
Eclectic Psychotherapist
Over 25 years experience
Supportive, solution-oriented
mental health services for the gay and
lesbian community
individuals • Couples • Families
WesPark Offices • Suite 461 I
Raleigh, NC 27606
BCBS / State Health Plan *
Sliding Scale Accepted 919-219-8534
COLDUieU.
BANKeRD
HOWARD PERRY
AND WALSTON
HPW.COM
Sheryl's Victorious
Real Estate Services
Business 919.401.7624
Cellular 919.824.6464
Fax 919.313.8602’
griffins@hpw.oom
Reutob*.B«okh» I
The androgyny Center
QUEER/TRANSGENDER
MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
PSYCHOTHERAPY-
•mm?
sheryl.griffin.hpw.com gsc
8 Consultant Place
Durham, North Carolina 27707
LOU Sawyer, Ph.D.
LtCENSEO PSYCHOLOGIST
(919) 489-8753
3325 DUR-CH BLVD.
Suite 186
DURHAM, NC 27707
INDIVIDUAL, COUPLE & FAMILY
ADULT, ADOLESCENT & CHILD
Timothy Isley, M.D.
Randall Johnson, M.D.
Teresa Mclnerney, M.S.W.
141 PROVIDENCE RD., SUITE 230 • CHAPEL HILL, N.C,
(919)493-0346
Jennifer Mayo, MA, LPC
Psychotherapy
Hypnosis
EMDR
(919) 286-3136
By Appointment Only
819 Broad Street
Durham, NC 27705
OCTOBER 21.2006 • Q-NOTES 51