LGBTQ+ Work
Payne County Pride
Queer folks exist in every space in every place around the world. However, oftentimes, those of us living in rural communities are ignored or expected to flee to cities. This should not be. In 2018, I decided to take one of my crazy ideas and make it happen; I decided to bring a pride festival to Oklahoma's tenth largest city: Stillwater. While Stillwater has a major university, it is still a very rural town, the surrounding county and towns are even more so. I formed a committee and, together, we were able to hold one of the state's larger festivals (over 1700 attendees), complete with a parade, a picnic, and three parties, in our first year. Ultimately, my vision for Payne County Pride is for it to become one of the most preeminent rural pride festivals in the US and Canada. |
Learn more about Payne County Pride on our website and in our inaugural pride guide. Our website also has information and resources for LGBTQ+ persons, our allies, and those who simply have questions. Payne County Pride was also featured as the backdrop on NowThis Daily's video highlighting Free Mom Hugs founder Sara Cunningham.
Our Queer Experience Podcast
In February 2018, I joined forces with a new friend, Bruce Tedder, in his next pursuit. Bruce was already running a successful political simulation game and an LGBTQ+ history YouTube channel. He wanted to start a podcast exploring the experiences of queer folks and what it means to be LGBTQ+ in contemporary US society. From there, he reached out (I was a competitor in the game), we started talking, and Our Queer Experience was born. We aim to explore and shine a light on the wide-range of LGBTQ+ folks making an impact and their stories getting there. |
Listen to Our Queer Experience on wherever you get your podcasts: iTunes, Stitcher, iHeart Radio, or PlayerFM. You can also follow us on Twitter and Facebook @OQEpodcast.