Growing Up Southern

Born in the South just after the end of Jim Crow, the passage of the Civil Rights Act, and the legalization of interracial marriage, Sean Bugg and Trey Graham discuss growing up as gay white Southern boys, encountering issues of racism, class, and religion. Sean and Trey both came to Washington, D.C. — a.k.a. Chocolate City — as young journalists, where they gained a clearer (if imperfect) understanding of how systemic racism had shaped them. Using their own experiences as a lens, along with the short stories of famed Southern writer Flannery O’Connor, they revisit what they’ve learned and how far they have to go. Trey Graham is a D.C.-based journalist who covered theater for the Washington City Paper for two decades. He received the George Jean Nathan Award for distinguished drama criticism in 2004. He currently covers theater for the Washington Post. His newsletter, “In Good Company,” is on Substack (treygraham.substack.com). An Oral History of D.C.’s Gold Coast: Chapters 00:00 Exploring Southern Roots and Race 02:10 Awareness of Racial Identity 07:16 Cultural Differences in Racial Perception 11:34 Confronting Personal Racism 16:30 Navigating Racial Dynamics in D.C. 23:22 Exploring Ethnic Backgrounds and Class Dynamics 26:47 Literary Influences: Flannery O’Connor’s Impact 33:59 Revelation and Self-Reflection in O’Connor’s Work 40:28 The Intersection of Religion, Class, and Race 47:25 Cultural Reflections: The South’s Complex Identity 50:48 Introduction and Context 51:06 Navigating Difficult Conversations 51:54 Closing Thoughts and Reflections Get full access to The Back Half at www.backhalfbugg.com/subscribe