Mora, Paul

Authors

Paul Mora
Lucy Gaines

Document Type

Audio

Publication Date

10-3-2022

Abstract

At the time of this interview, Paul Mora is a Ph.D student of History at the University of Mississippi, a member of the Graduate Student Council, President of the History Graduate Association, active in Delta Tau Delta fraternity, and is a gay cis male of Latino heritage. Mora discusses his complicated family dynamic, traumatic coming out, leaving his home and memorabilia behind, and his chosen family. Originally from California, Mora explains his journey to the University of Mississippi and the many stops along the way, including active duty in Baghdad, the party life of San Francisco, and earning his masters at the University of Alabama. He describes his experience as a gay male in the military, and his bout with addiction upon returning to America. He discusses the intersection of his Latino and gay identities and how he is perceived in public spheres – especially Oxford and the University. Homophobia stirred less violence than racism throughout Mora’s life, but especially within the South. For Mora, visibility is activism. As the product of an older generation of gay men, he’s still learning from queer youth, and the internet and queer social media have informed his migrations.

Relational Format

audio recording

Comments

Additional files include: abstract, data sheet, photos, field notes, audio file. Transcript is available on request.

Rights

In copyright. For permission to duplicate, repost, or otherwise re-use these images, please contact the Invisible Histories Project: Mississippi.

Recommended Citation

Mora, Paul and Gaines, Lucy, "Mora, Paul" (2022). Queer Mississippi (Complete Collection). 64.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/queerms/64

Accessibility Status

Searchable text