'Staying Bush' – a Study of Gay Men Living in Rural Areas

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'Staying Bush' – a Study of Gay Men Living in Rural Areas ‘STAYING BUSH’ – A STUDY OF GAY MEN LIVING IN RURAL AREAS EDWARD JOHN GREEN A thesis submitted in fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of New South Wales 2006 PLEASE TYPE THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW SOUTH WALES Thesis/Dissertation Sheet Surname or Family name: Green First name: Edward Other name/s: John Abbreviation for degree as given in the University calendar: PhD School: Social Work Faculty: Arts and Social Sciences Title: ‘Staying Bush’ – A Study of Gay Men Living in Rural Areas Abstract 350 words maximum: (PLEASE TYPE) This study explored the experience of what it is to be a gay man and to live in a rural community. It sought to understand why gay men would want to live in places that are said to have a reputation for hostility towards them. The empirical data from the semi-structured interviews with twenty-one gay men living in fifteen small-town locations across New South Wales, Australia, was analysed using a qualitative method derived from phenomenology, ethnography and modified grounded theory. The distinctive findings of this thesis centre on these men’s desire and determination to stay in the bush. They chose to stay in rural locations and effectively employed a diverse range of strategies to both combat the difficulties of rural life and enhance its advantages. The bush was the place in which these men could find themselves, be themselves and also find others like themselves. The space and the isolation of the bush gave them the latitude and the scope to live gay lives. This is why they stayed. By staying, they were also able to live out both the homosexual and rural components of their personal and social identity. Building on a brief look at the Australian rural past, the conceptual framework utilises notions of ‘the stranger’ and draws on resilience, agency and resistance theory to understand these men’s ability to live in an unwelcoming place. Resilience allowed these men to cope and deal with the difficulties they faced. Human agency, the individual's capacity to exert autonomy over his life, is used to restore prominence to resistance theory. Agency is the catalyst to resistance and resistance fuels an individual’s, and sometimes a collective, opposition to the dominant social forces that inhibits one’s agency. These men’s desire to live in a rural place can be understood through theoretical considerations of place, the freedom of place and queer theory. Their satisfaction with life can be theorised through the application of a concept new to theory in gay literature - thriving. This thesis documents a largely unreported aptitude and proficiency by rural gay men to live in the bush. It suggests that their close affinity with place gives them a sense of belonging that, when combined with their concept of a gay lifestyle, effectively queers the places in which they live. That gay men can live fulfilled lives in the very places they are said to have fled evokes an innovative perspective together with an appreciation of what it is to be gay in the bush. Declaration relating to disposition of project thesis/dissertation I hereby grant to the University of New South Wales or its agents the right to archive and to make available my thesis or dissertation in whole or in part in the University libraries in all forms of media, now or here after known, subject to the provisions of the Copyright Act 1968. I retain all property rights, such as patent rights. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis or dissertation. I also authorise University Microfilms to use the 350 word abstract of my thesis in Dissertation Abstracts International (this is applicable to doctoral theses only). …………………………………………………………… ……………………………………..……………… ……….……………………...…….… Signature Witness Date The University recognises that there may be exceptional circumstances requiring restrictions on copying or conditions on use. Requests for restriction for a period of up to 2 years must be made in writing. Requests for a longer period of restriction may be considered in exceptional circumstances and require the approval of the Dean of Graduate Research. FOR OFFICE USE ONLY Date of completion of requirements for Award: THIS SHEET IS TO BE GLUED TO THE INSIDE FRONT COVER OF THE THESIS DEDICATION To the 21 gay men in the bush who made this thesis possible and to Aldi who makes everything worthwhile. CERTIFICATE OF ORIGINALITY I hereby declare that this submission is my own work and to the best of my knowledge it contains no materials previously published or written by another person, nor material which to a substantial extent has been accepted for the award of any degree or diploma at UNSW or any other educational institution, except where due acknowledgment is made in the thesis. Any contribution made to the research by others with whom I have worked at UNSW, or elsewhere, is explicitly acknowledged in the thesis. I also declare that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work, except to the extent that assistance from others in the project’s design and conception or in style, presentation and linguistic expression is acknowledged. (Signed) ……………………………… ii Acknowledgements The research presented in this thesis would not have been possible were it not for the goodwill and cooperation of those who took part in it. It is a pleasure to be able to thank the twenty-one men who so willingly and openly agreed to allow me to interview them for this work. It was a privilege to speak with them. The ease with which they disclosed their innermost thoughts, their emotions and even the most private aspects of their lives was a revelation. These men were intelligent, thoughtful and articulate and any strength of this work is in no small way due to the depth and richness of their stories. In addition to those men I was fortunate enough to interview, I also need to acknowledge the other men who assisted me in locating the interviewees and encouraging them to be part of this study. I owe a debt of gratitude to John in Griffith, Victor and Terry in Goulburn, John in Wellington and especially to Bernie in Manilla. These men not only put me in touch with most of the men who were interviewed, but also foresaw the value and originality of this project and encouraged me to get on with it. At an institutional level, I would like to acknowledge the work of the Interlibrary Loans section of the Library of the University of New South Wales. They were always willing to do the impossible and many times, while I was living overseas, they held works for me until I could get back to Australia. Nothing was too difficult and I am most grateful for their efforts and their unfailing courtesy. I am also thankful for the invaluable practical assistance of Dr Peter Yalden who proofread the whole thesis and to Ian Steep who did the final edit and the design. This thesis would also not have been possible had it not been for the excellent academic supervision I was afforded. I wish to acknowledge the assistance provided by Dr Richard Roberts in the early stages of this project. I would like to thank Dr Eileen Baldry for continuing to have faith in this project and for encouraging me to keep it going. Eileen has a gifted intellectual mind and her willingness to apply it to the supervision of this thesis is greatly appreciated. The critical feedback, the detailed comments and Eileen’s patience in sticking with me were of great support and it is a pleasure to acknowledge my debt and gratitude to her. Dr Michael Wearing took over iii primary supervision of this thesis at a time when I had lost all hope and confidence. It was his timely offer of advice and assistance that stopped me from walking away from this work. It was Michael’s understanding and gentle nudging to not let it go and to return to writing that slowly restored my belief in both the thesis and myself. I cannot thank him enough for his empathy and encouragement, particularly at that low point. His foresight and his big picture perspicacity gave me renewed energy to get on with the writing. Without the guidance of Michael and Eileen, this thesis would certainly not have been completed. That said, its flaws are mine. Writing a thesis is an unexpectedly lonely experience and it is one that inevitably takes one away from friends. However, while I may have retreated somewhat in order to immerse myself in this work, my friends did not retreat from me. It was their unobtrusive, non-demanding ‘being there’ that gave me the freedom to write. It was their ‘being there’ that gave me the support I always needed and the social outlets I sometimes needed. It was their ‘being there’ that kept me (at least partly) sane through this lonely journey. They know who they are. One of the few regrets I have regarding this project is that, sadly, my Dad did not live to see this thesis finalised. But most of all, I would like to thank my partner, Aldi, who has also been there on this journey. It was his unwavering, but inconspicuous, support that gave me the freedom and the space to write this thesis. Being with him has been the most fabulous part of my life and his ‘being there’ and his ‘staying’ in all the senses of these words not only made this journey possible, but also makes everything worthwhile.
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