An Ode to the Small-Town Gay
Story by charles_they on SoFurry
"Queer Flight," as some have taken to calling it, is a phenomenon I've been pondering for a while now.
On one hand, few people want to be the small-town gay. Queer youth exists in small towns, of course, albeit some of them may not openly express themselves for a variety of reasons. But, when the scant queer youth one finds gets older, there tends to be a desire to move to highly queer areas (SF, Vancouver, NYC, Chicago, Montreal, etc), again, for a number of reasons. Most predominantly, because it's nice to be around people who are like you, I find. It makes sense.
On the other hand, queerness becomes and remains obscure/abnormal in the small town because it drains away to already queer areas. Because few stay, queerness isn't obviously seen. Because it isn't obviously seen, people don't adapt as quickly to it. And because people aren't adapted to it, few want to stay. It's not a great existence, to be the pioneer small-town gay--so what's the solution?
I've no idea.
Ode to the Small-Town Gay
The small-town gay is seldom seen /
They disappear once past eighteen /
To western coasts and city scenes /
No matter where, they find the means /
The small-town gay's a thankless job /
To bear the looks and hurts they lob /
To be the butt of jokes of knobs /
And cry, alone, heart-rending sobs /
The small-town gay sees not the day /
When their life there does change the way /
For youth confused, lost in the mays /
The be's, be-not's, and haze of haaaaays /
The small-town gay predates the queer /
As they were ours, then they were here /
The latter fled in face of fears /
The few who stayed became our peers.
-Charles Michael Averin