Gay-Tex-Mex: Autoethnographic Vignettes

A series of autoethnographic narrative vignettes recount the author's personal memories from his upbringing in Texas as a Mexican American and his emergent identity as a gay man. The vignettes begin with episodes that profile Texas culture during the 1960s-1970s with an emphasis on cowboy and Hispanic cultures. The vignettes then recount specific boyhood moments with the author's parents and their influence on his adolescent development as a closeted gay Hispanic. Following are brief narratives about ethnic discrimination experienced during secondary school. The stories then profile his training as a theatre artist and educator, and how gay Hispanic cultures blossomed during his university years, despite his closeted relationship with his parents. The piece concludes with a moment from late adulthood when he learns an undisclosed family secret, and the author reflects on how growing up in "Gay-Tex-Mex" cultures influenced his identity.