Memphis Queer History: Remembering the Past, Shaping the Future

Well, howdy there! Let’s talk about somethin’ real interestin’, somethin’ about Memphis, you know, that city down south. We ain’t gonna talk about no fancy stuff, just plain folks and what happened back then, the queer history, they call it.

What’s Memphis All About Anyway?

First off, Memphis, that name, it comes from some old Egyptian place, they say it means “Place of Good Abode”. Sounds nice, right? Folks started movin’ there ’cause of all that cotton growin’ and ’cause you could get around easy with the trains and the river. That was way back, before most of us were even born, they made it a city in 1826, a long, long time ago.

Elvis and All That Rock and Roll

Now, you can’t talk about Memphis without thinkin’ ’bout Elvis. That boy and his rock and roll music, shook up the whole world, they say. You go to his house, Graceland they call it, and you see all sorts of things. It ain’t just about Elvis, though, it tells you a bit about how rock and roll started and all the changes it brought.

Elvis, he was somethin’ else, a real showman.
Rock and roll, it changed the way folks thought and danced.
Graceland, that house, it’s like a time machine.

Sad Times, Too

But Memphis, it ain’t all sunshine and rock and roll. Something real bad happened there, the murder of that preacher man, Martin Luther King Jr. He was fightin’ for folks to be treated fair and equal, and some folks didn’t like that. It’s a stain on the city, a reminder of how things used to be and how we still got a ways to go.

Now, About Them Queer Folks

Talkin’ ’bout history, you gotta talk about everybody, even them folks they call queer. They’ve always been around, even if folks didn’t talk about it much. See, back in 1979, a fella named Bill Dunlap, he moved to Memphis. He was part of somethin’ called AGAA, and he was lookin’ out for them LGBT folks. That’s what they called ‘em back then – lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. Now they got more letters, LGBTQ+, somethin’ about intersex and asexual, I ain’t quite sure what all that means, but it’s about folks bein’ who they are and lovin’ who they love.

Memphis Today and Them Queer Students

These days, Memphis is tryin’ to be a place where everybody feels welcome. You got schools and colleges, and they got groups for them LGBTQ+ students and teachers, they call ’em allies too. That means they’re friendly and supportive. They got information and places for folks to go, to feel safe and be themselves. It ain’t always easy, mind you, there’s still folks who don’t understand or don’t agree, but things are changin’, slowly but surely.

It’s All Part of the Story

So, you see, Memphis is more than just Elvis and cotton. It’s got a whole heap of stories, happy ones and sad ones, stories about famous folks and ordinary folks, stories about straight folks and queer folks. It’s all part of the history, part of what makes Memphis what it is. And it’s important to remember it all, the good and the bad, so we can learn and do better.

Just Folks Bein’ Folks

At the end of the day, ain’t we all just folks tryin’ to get by, tryin’ to find a little happiness, tryin’ to love and be loved? That’s what I reckon. And whether you’re from Memphis or some other place, whether you like rock and roll or somethin’ else, whether you’re straight or queer, it don’t matter much. What matters is bein’ a good person, treatin’ others with respect, and tryin’ to make the world a little bit better place. That’s what I always say, anyhow.

Memphis is still growin’ and changin’, and the stories of its queer folks are still bein’ written. It’s important to keep tellin’ these stories, to remember the past and to work towards a better future, a future where everybody feels safe, welcome, and loved. Just like that old Egyptian place, Memphis should be a “Place of Good Abode” for everyone, no matter who they are or who they love.