| Abstract |
Bachelor Farmer is an intimate look at how a few gay men negotiate the challenges of small-town living in rural Kendrick, Idaho, population 369. In a place so small, no one can be a stranger. Being openly gay there isn t easy, but part of day-to-day small town living is dealing with difficult but necessary relationships. The gay men and the one gay woman profiled talk about the delicate balance between being "out" but not so far out as to antagonize their neighbors. They participate in the usual small town rituals of barbeques, Fourth of July parades, church on Sunday, and above all tending to the land. It is the love of the land they farm that has drawn them to this town--some have roots that go back generations, while others have settled to be with their friends. The cinematography captures the idyllic beauty of the rural landscape making it easy to understand their attachment to this place. Each of the gay farmers has a story to tell of why and how they made Kendrick their home. As they blend in with the community, they find that even a commitment ceremony is reluctantly tolerated. The partners later reflect that now they are treated like just another old married couple living down the road with too many cats. In this examination of outsider status and the struggle to be accepted in one s community, Bachelor Farmer is a rich story of community in the most unlikely of places. |
