Abstract
At a time when hate crimes related to sexuality and gender identity are increasing and Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer (LGBTQ+) youth are disproportionately more likely to attempt suicide, this critical poetic inquiry revisits our shared history of heterosexism. Specifically, through the methodology of performance autoethnography, I explore some of the processes through which heterosexism, homophobia, and heteronormativity have operated within British culture across my own life course. I reimagine a well-known traditional rhyme with the aspiration that this accessible poem be used by others as a component of their activism and teaching on diversity and LGBTQ+ rights.
There Was a Queer Guy
There was a queer guy who swallowed a lie You might think you know why he swallowed the lie Perhaps he’ll die There was a queer guy who swallowed a threat he was fed “You’re either straight or you’re bent, in which case you’re dead” He swallowed the threat along with the lie You might think you know why he swallowed the lie Perhaps he’ll die There was a queer guy who swallowed a fraud His kind were diagnosed mentally disordered at the time he was born He swallowed the fraud to explain the threat Which festered and burned, before making him wretch He swallowed the threat along with the lie You might think you know why he swallowed the lie Perhaps he’ll die There was a queer guy who swallowed a law Being gay was illegal in Scotland when he was four He swallowed the law to defend the fraud He swallowed the fraud to explain the threat Which festered and burned, before making him wretch He swallowed the threat along with the lie You might think you know why he swallowed the lie Perhaps he’ll die There was a queer guy who swallowed a fib told at home “You must be with a woman, or you’ll be alone” He swallowed the fib because of the law He swallowed the law to defend the fraud He swallowed the fraud to explain the threat Which festered and burned, before making him wretch He swallowed the threat along with the lie You might think you know why he swallowed the lie Perhaps he’ll die There was a queer guy who swallowed a drill he was told “Shower naked with your teammates, but don’t take a-hold” He swallowed the drill to keep up the fib He swallowed the fib because of the law He swallowed the law to defend the fraud He swallowed the fraud to explain the threat Which festered and burned, before making him wretch He swallowed the threat along with the lie You might think you know why he swallowed the lie Perhaps he’ll die There was a queer guy who swallowed a ruse “Don’t look at a guy, you’ll get a thump on the nose
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” He swallowed the ruse to hold down the drill He swallowed the drill to keep up the fib He swallowed the fib because of the law He swallowed the law to defend the fraud He swallowed the fraud to explain the threat Which festered and burned, before making him wretch He swallowed the threat along with the lie You might think you know why he swallowed the lie Perhaps he’ll die There was a queer guy who swallowed a cock
Is it really so wrong, for a guy to suck on a dong?
He swallowed the cock to sweeten the ruse He swallowed the ruse to hold down the drill He swallowed the drill to keep up the fib He swallowed the fib because of the law He swallowed the law to defend the fraud He swallowed the fraud to explain the threat Which festered and burned, before making him wretch He swallowed the threat along with the lie You might think you know why he swallowed the lie Perhaps . . . it’s time to stop before any more queer kids die.
Footnotes
Acknowledgements
This poem utilizes the form of the traditional rhyme There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. It was inspired by Bryant Keith Alexander’s invitation to participate in a panel at the 19th International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry and Meredith Tax’s (1970) illustrated poem There Was a Young Woman Who Swallowed a Lie accessible at 
. Thank you to Lorena Lozano-Sufrategui and participants in the “Reengaging the Body” workshops in Dartington, UK, for helpful feedback on earlier versions of the poem.
Declaration of Conflicting Interests
The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.
Funding
The author(s) received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.