Colin Whitworth presented research they did on the intersection of queer and Southern identities through performance and narrative on March 18 in Godsey Science Center. Whitworth specifically discussed their own regional identity as a member of the LBGTQ community born, raised and currently living in the South.
“As a queer Southerner, people make assumptions,” Whitworth said. “Assumptions through the way that I speak and act around my family with a Southern drawl, and assumptions about the way that I speak and act around others who are queer.”
They said these assumptions complicate queer identity.
In "Finding My Front Porch: An Autoethnography of Queer Southern Intersections," Whitworth delved into their lived experiences in childhood, adolescence and young adulthood, saying regional identity is an overlooked aspect of intersecting identities.
Whitworth used "The Front Porch" in their poetry as a metaphor for Southern hospitality and community.
“The front porch could be for that one uncle. You know, he's different. Or that one cousin with a mullet framing her masculine face as she swings in the wicker next to her also-single roommate,” they said. “The front porch could be for them, but only if they play by the rules. Only if they embrace the open secret. Only if they leave the hard truths for the back porch."
They used narrative poetry and performance to represent queer and Southern identities.
“Syrup, thick, sweet tea and tumbler in hand. The sugar coats your tongue, an extension of the humid air thick in your throat,” said Whitworth as they recited a poetic segment from their essay. “Spanish moss sways on twisted oak, sweaty bodies float in a basket made for two, chained to the haint-blue ceiling.”
Communications department intern Katie Volz ‘26 selected Whitworth to be the guest speaker.
“You just don’t find much scholarly work on the intersection of Southern and queer identities,” Volz, an English and communications double major, said. “So, that piqued my interest.”
Whitworth is currently a lecturer of Rhetoric and Communications at Georgia College and State University. Whitworth earned a bachelor's degree in English and creative writing and a master's in communication studies from the University of Alabama before receiving their Ph.D. in communication studies from Southern Illinois University.
They also shared “Bless our Hearts: Towards a Model for Queer Oral History,” an earlier body of work that used performance methods to help both academic and non-academic audiences better understand diverse queer experiences.
“Through interviews and qualitative methods, I was able to transcribe, code and script the embodiment of these individuals into a physical performance,” Whitworth said.
Whitworth said they used an ethical approach when working across racial and intersectional demographics. Their performances do not use costuming or sets. Rather, they said, they rely on complex shifts in language, haptics and mannerisms to convey the individual's narrative.
"One such person that I’ve performed is a woman under the pseudonym Shekinah, a Black trans woman and an activist in Birmingham, Ala.,” Whitworth said. “I was nervous about performing Shekinah for obvious reasons, but I still needed to represent her narrative in my intersectional and autoethnographical work.”
Volz said she found the discussion “insightful and thorough.”
“Their grounding of theory in autoethnography and performance makes their work accessible to non-academic audiences in a unique way,” Volz said. “I am so glad we got to host Dr. Whitworth at Mercer. I think it was a really rewarding experience for all involved.”
Hannah Mock ‘28 is a communications and graphic design double major at Mercer and is currently a staff writer for The Mercer Cluster. When she’s not at a coffee shop catching up on her studies, Hannah is working on her latest artistic projects or out hiking a new nature trail. Her favorite things to write about include arts and culture, social issues and community accomplishments.
