Real Queer America: A Love Letter to Hidden LGBTQIA+ Communities

From attending drag brunches, trans-rights protests, and gay coffee shops, Real Queer Americaby Samantha Allen, shines a light on the beauty and slices of heaven nestled within red states Allen and her best friend road-tripped across the country investigating how and where queer people find solace and community in anti-LGBTQIA+ rights states.

The election of President Donald Trump shook the social and political landscapes of the US, seemingly dividing the country into strict boundaries of red and blue. Allen’s book, written in 2017, responds to Trump's election and how queer communities are combating the increasing anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, especially bills attacking transgender rights. On the other hand, Real Queer America is a love story of queer peoples’ ability to transcend hate and create chosen families full of acceptance, adaptability, and empathy. 

“Queer safe havens” are places where LGBTQ+ people feel free to be themselves without the threat of homophobic violence and hate. To be clear, there are no real safe havens for queer people. The looming threat of hate is everywhere, no matter your city. However, there are places where queer people can gather where they feel protected and seen; these are called safe-havens. 

UTAH

Providing therapy sessions, friendship circles, art events, and drop-in social hours, Encircle is a sanctuary for the LBGTQIA+ community in Utah. According to their website, Encircle “provides space for meaningful connection, creative and purposeful activities with inherent meaning, and experiences to educate and empower LGBTQ+ youth.” Encircle was one of the many stops Allen took on her trip, emphasizing to her and her readers how places like Encircle save lives—a true queer safe haven. 

In a state with suicide as the leading cause of teen death, places like Encircle are critical in maintaining the safety of queer youth. Jacob Cook, ex-Mormon and Encircle intern, came back to Utah to help give queer teenagers the community and support that he never got, “But this is why I’m here: I heard about Encircle, and I felt like if I could make some sort of difference, and be across front the Temple, and be in the middle of it all, and help some kids who are suffocating, then that is so life-changing and important.” 

TEXAS

“We do everything big in Texas; bigotry and love,” said Amber Briggle, a cisgender straight woman who became an LGBTQ+ advocate after her son, Max, came out as transgender. Texas, a state known for its anti-LGBTQIA+ legislation, was Allen’s second stop on her trip, where she met George Longoria, a genderqueer who believes that living in a red city like Rio Grande Valley, Texas is where real change is made. In an interview with Allen, they said, “If our most creative and adventurous and innovative people leave, how are we supposed to ignite change?” Queer people like Longoria live in conservative areas because they want to be on the “front lines” of the fight for change. If Allen’s time in Texas taught her readers anything, it’s the persistence of the queer community and their inability to be silenced by anti-trans legislation. 

INDIANA

Back Door, an all-inclusive queer bar, is a refuge for “outsiders” in Bloomington, Indiana. The bar's name is a nod to queer bars that, in the past, had to be hidden and protected through secret passwords. The bar's graphic designer, Smooth G., understands that being politically active as a business and queer person is necessary when living in a red state like Indiana. “I don’t think being queer, you can be neutral or not political,” said Smooth. “You have to take a stand because we still don’t have full rights or protections.” The bar has weekly craft nights and many other events to harbor a safe environment for the Bloomington community. 

MISSISSIPPI

As she winds towards the end of her trip, Allen stops in Jackson, Mississippi, to visit the infamous Wonderlust Bar. She describes a place as a community meant for everyone: "The crowd in Wonderlust is remarkably varied: white and black, gay and straight, transgender and cisgender..because the club is open to anyone eighteen and over, it’s young too.”. Mississippi, known for its anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, can still foster an inclusive haven “where people of all races, genders, and sexualities joyfully share space.”

Since 2017, the political and social landscape of the United States has changed drastically with the rise of COVID-19, the overturning of Roe v. Wade, and the increasing threat of courts challenging gay marriage equality. However, the underlying message of her book remains. Queer safe havens are everywhere, not only in liberal cities. Allen’s book demonstrates that queer people inhabit every part of the country no matter if their state is Democrat or Republican: “If it strikes you insane that 88-percent of LGBT adults do not think about social acceptance when we choose a place to live, it’s because most of us know we can build a chosen family almost anywhere.” 

Written by Abby Stuckrath.