Marcus Pavilonis

Rural LGBTQ Resources

10/4/2018

How rural communities are helping the LGBTQ community

Ian McKenzie / For The Post

In rural areas like Appalachia, there aren’t as many resources for minorities. Ohio University’s LGBT Center is one of the few places in Appalachia that offers these resources.

Different universities and community areas around Appalachia have developed LGBTQ centers to help the more rural areas. These include West Virginia University’s LGBTQ+ Center, Appalachian State’s Henderson Springs LGBT Center and the Appalachian Community Fund.

West Virginia University LGBTQ+ Center

The LGBTQ+ Center in Morgantown, West Virginia, provides different resources, such as advocacy, education, programming and social events, Cris Mayo, director of the LGBTQ+ Center, said in an email.

The facility provides resources to students and staff, faculty and community members. Mayo explained that the center provides programming for Appalachian and rural LGBTQ issues.

West Virginia University offers a minor in LGBTQ studies through the LGBTQ+ Center. Mayo even said the LGBTQ+ Center is looking into scholarships it could offer.

“We have student assistantships and are working on scholarships, those will probably start next year (and include allies),” Mayo said.

While the center is related to the university, people not affiliated with the school are able to use it, according to West Virginia University. There are different assets provided by the center that allow high school students, teachers and residents to learn about the LGBTQ community. Mayo even said that the center has training to help residents learn about the LGBTQ community.

Appalachian State Henderson Springs LGBT Center

In Boone, North Carolina, the Henderson Springs LGBT Center is designed for students and staff, faculty and community members, Jake Reeves, a graduate assistant working for the center, said. Since there are no other centers in Boone, the center has opened the space for all people of the community.

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Reeves said that in the beginning of the Fall Semester, there are educational programming opportunities, such as scholarships, and several different clubs that work with the center to make the environment feel safe and welcoming.

The LGBT Center even hosts “LGBT 101” events to inform residents in the area about how to respect the LGBTQ community. The LGBT Center also provides a drag show for both amateurs and professionals. There is one show per semester. The professionals’ show is in the Spring Semester, and the Fall Semester is reserved for the amateurs’ show.

In the Fall Semester, the LGBT Center hosts a coming out day for those who live in Appalachia, Reeves said. One part of the coming out day includes providing new clothes for any student who is in transition.

For the students that are graduating, the LGBT Center hosts a lavender graduation. This is a separate graduation ceremony where students of the LGBTQ community are able to express themselves because they might not have come out to their parents and family yet, Reeves said.

Appalachian Community Fund

Since it started supporting the LGBTQ community in 2006, the Appalachian Community Fund has provided grants for LGBTQ organizations.

Most grant recipients specifically requested money for one-time events, such as pride celebrations, gatherings, and religious or educational events, Kendall Bilbrey, the project director for Out in the South: Central Appalachia, said in an email.

There have been 16 grants awarded to 12 different organizations in Virginia, Tennessee, West Virginia and Kentucky.

The fund specifically grants money to groups that are nonprofit or have an agent who can receive and distribute funds to the appropriate programming, Bilbrey said in an email.

The LGBTQ Fund is a part of the Appalachian Community Fund, an organization that grants money to nonprofit organizations.

The organizations that have been given the money have used it in more urban areas because there are not as many LGBTQ centers in rural areas. This allows more people to attend the events. Bilbrey said that some of the community drove as far as four hours to attend the event.

“Through the LGBTQ Fund’s outreach program called Out in the South: Central Appalachia Project, we hosted six events and five of which were in rural areas of (Tennessee), (Kentucky) and (Virginia),” Bilbrey said in an email.

Development by: Taylor Johnston / For The Post

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