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Excerpt from Oral History Interview with Quinton E. Baker, February 23, 2002. Interview K-0838. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) See Entire Interview >>

How Baker and Dunne handled their relationship in public

McGinnis asks Baker to give more information about how he and John Dunne handled their relationship in public.

Citing this Excerpt

Oral History Interview with Quinton E. Baker, February 23, 2002. Interview K-0838. Southern Oral History Program Collection (#4007) in the Southern Oral History Program Collection, Southern Historical Collection, Wilson Library, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Full Text of the Excerpt

Some people are just in that niche, some people only have sex in public places because it is a big turn on and it may be repressed issues, and maybe they are bisexual, and maybe they are denial, maybe they are just gay men who like to have fun, so there is that segment, and that is applicable to all of the other areas, and so, anyway. It is interesting. I think that some people just find it very gratifying and exciting, kind of dangerous kind of thing. Maybe they are exhibitionists.
QUINTON E. BAKER:
Yeah, I guess. I guess I have always been, I mean I think one of the things that made it possible for me to function in and around Chapel Hill or be in Chapel Hill was the relationship. The relationship with John was very important to me. And it was being in that relationship and our being in the movement together that was a real strong force in our lives together, because John was very active, we demonstrated together, we protected each other—we were there—
CHRIS McGINNIS:
You were there for each other.
QUINTON E. BAKER:
The way we related as people.
CHRIS McGINNIS:
Do you think that people generally knew in the straight white community and everything else that you were in a relationship?
QUINTON E. BAKER:
Oh yeah, I think so.
CHRIS McGINNIS:
Did they try to use it? Obviously, the NAACP, but did anybody try to attack the gay issue when you were being activists? Or was that something that was ever brought up?
QUINTON E. BAKER:
No
CHRIS McGINNIS:
That is interesting. Because you would think that would be such a wonderful tool for them to utilize.
QUINTON E. BAKER:
Yes, but they didn't.
CHRIS McGINNIS:
Actually that is one area in which civility was certainly practiced.
QUINTON E. BAKER:
Civility was practiced because we were in and out of [Laughter] I mean, we were.
CHRIS McGINNIS:
Did you guys ever have any PDA, Public Displays of Affection? Did you ever hold hands or anything like that in public or anything of that nature?
QUINTON E. BAKER:
No, no, we didn't do that.
CHRIS McGINNIS:
Some people had suggested that.
QUINTON E. BAKER:
That we did?
CHRIS McGINNIS:
Yeah, like hold hands or something.
QUINTON E. BAKER:
No, we didn't hold hands, we would sit close to each other, and we would touch each other.
CHRIS McGINNIS:
Shoulder to shoulder.
QUINTON E. BAKER:
Shoulder to shoulder or something or jostling around, but no, not, not any PDAs that I remember.. But at my age, I may not remember anything. [Laughter]