Title
Identity Perspectives: Ignacio Garcia
Project
Identity Formation Interview
Loading...
Interviewee
Ignacio Garcia
Summary of Interview
My interview subject, Ignacio Garcia, was not knowledgeable in the area of gender and sexuality, but he took the interview seriously and although he lacked the vocabulary to express all of his thoughts, tried to express his experiences with honesty. Born in 1963, Ignacio was taught that the gender binary was essential and natural, and non-heterosexual attraction was something to not be discussed, but instead shunned and shamed. He also states that he was taught that non-normative gender and sexual expression were choices, rather than inherent traits. He mentions that his father was quite traditional, and not accepting of the same sex attractions of relatives, although he did not sever social ties with them. It was not until Ignacio was an adult that he interacted with openly gay individuals, and he has never known anyone who is openly trans. Ignacio himself expressed that he had always fit into his assigned gender with ease and desired relationships with the opposite sex, citing this as one of the reasons why he joined his high school football team. He felt the most pressure to provide economically for his family, but otherwise did not feel that his gender role dictated his life much. Although he says that he is uncomfortable with the current expansion of the broad understandings of gender and sexuality, he is learning more about the topic. Though he finds the concept complicated, he understands that this is the way that some people are and that he will have to adjust to that. Although queerness is something that he was taught to ignore and ridicule, Ignacio is slowly but surely becoming more accepting of the diversity in gender and sexuality that exists in our communities.
Date of Interview
11-10-2022
Length of Interview
16 minutes
Recommended Citation
Garcia, Samantha, "Identity Perspectives: Ignacio Garcia" (2022). WS2360 Interviews. 5.
https://scholarworks.utep.edu/interviews_2360/5