Simpson, Shà

Authors

Shà Simpson
Sam Street

Document Type

Audio

Publication Date

7-16-2024

City

Oxford, MS

Abstract

In this interview, Shà Simpson is a 33 year old Black lesbian woman who discusses her childhood in New Albany as a Jehovah’s Witness. Simpson shares her experience of dating women while closeted and buying more masculine clothing in high school. She attended Northeast Mississippi Community College before transferring to the University of Mississippi to study journalism. In her junior year of college, Simpson was outed as a lesbian to her parents and disfellowshipped from the Jehovah’s Witnesses. She credits her godmother and professor Alysia Steele and the university counseling services with helping her cope with the loss of her religious and family support systems. Simpson is an active member of the LGBTQ+ community in Oxford today and discusses her experience as a Black lesbian in Oxford. She also touches on the impact of the 2022 disappearance of Jay Lee, a Black gay man who was heavily visible in the community. Simpson speaks about her relationship with her girlfriend and her girlfriend’s three children. She emphasizes the importance of community, mental health care, and representation throughout her interview.

Relational Format

audio recording

Extent

1:44:57

Comments

Additional files include: abstract, data sheet, field notes, photo, research. 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

Simpson, Shà and Street, Sam, "Simpson, Shà" (2024). Queer Mississippi (Complete Collection). 69.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/queerms/69

Accessibility Status

Searchable text