ABSTRACT
When I share with African American gospel enthusiasts that I research Black men’s performance of gender and sexuality in gospel music, the most frequent responses I receive are: “Why are there so many ‘effeminate’ men in music ministries? And why are so many choir directors gay?” I often follow up with the questions: “In what ways are they ‘effeminate’? How do you know so many choir directors are gay?” In their replies, “choir directors” are commonly described as male soloists and leaders who exhibit femininity. Enthusiasts use coded descriptions of performance traits such as “singing high like a woman” or dancing “with grace.” Explanations of “singing high like a woman” in solo gospel music performance suggest that the higher vocal register is a woman’s domain and men who traverse into that vocal territory are queer. In one instance, I asked a male cleric to explain what dancing “with grace” means. He replied, “I mean graceful like a woman. You know, the smoothness and fl uidity in his hand gestures and his limp wrists.” When I countered with, “Are women the only ones allowed to be graceful, smooth, or fl uid?” he had diffi culty formulating an answer.
