Friends –

Last week our team at the Campaign for Southern Equality was honored to partner with the Movement Advancement Project and the Equality Federation on the launch of a new, in-depth report about the lives and organizing experiences of LGBTQ people across the South. Roughly 3.6 million LGBTQ adults live here in the South, more than in any other region, and there’s a wealth of stories, triumphs, and challenges to unpack.

You can check out the report, Telling a New Southern Story: LGBTQ Resilience, Resistance, and Leadership here. It showcases some tips for organizing in the South and lessons that folks living in other regions of the country can learn from LGBTQ Southerners about Southern grassroots organizing. 

One of the key findings of the report is that LGBTQ Southerners are resilient, courageous, and have a LOT to teach from their own experiences. Now, as we continue to share these lessons with folks across the country, we want to hear from you! 

Can you join us by sharing your #QueerSouthernStories? Share your favorite memories and moments about living your truth or organizing to build a stronger South by using the hashtag on social media. Don’t have social media but want to share a photo and reflection? Click here to share with us, and we may post it online! 

It’s true that LGBTQ Southerners experience a lot of barriers to equality and full inclusion, from a difficult policy landscape to the cultural realities of the South. These forces often require that we organize in different ways, dreaming up new strategies, finding ways to work the seams and the fault lines – in other words, that we approach organizing in ways that are both queer and Southern. 

Our queer Southern community is rich in knowledge and history, and we’ve experienced so many victories and dusted ourselves off from so many challenges.

Help us celebrate that history online by posting a photo or memory to social media – including Instagram or Twitter – and use the #QueerSouthernStories hashtag! Or, click here to share with us directly, and we may amplify your voice!

Thank you for sharing your #QueerSouthernStories – let’s keep telling a new story of the South!

Al Murray
Campaign for Southern Equality
They/Them