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U.S. NEWSMonday 18 July 2016
American Living:
Small-town pride: LGBT stigma fades as civil rights are won
DAVID DISHNEAU Ron Beachley, left, and his great-nephew Todd Garnand stand fights the establishment of clared same-sex marriage
Associated Press on the back deck of Beachley’s home near Hagerstown, Md. gay-friendly student orga- “contrary to God’s will,â€
HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) — Beachley, who is gay, says it boggles his mind that a pride festi- nizations in public schools. in a statement last year.
Ron Beachley remembers val, which is being organized by Garnand, is being held on the He said LGBT centers prey Rhonda Smith, business ad-
slipping through the side same downtown block where he was once afraid to be seen on troubled kids, and pride ministrator for the church’s
door of a downtown Hag- slipping into a gay nightclub. parades are hyper-sexual- Appalachian conference,
erstown hotel into the Bull (AP Photo/David Dishneau) ized demonstrations by dis- said by email, “We are not
Ring, a gay nightclub, in turbed individuals. “You’ll haters nor do we wish to
the early 1980s. America. There were 252 the building, or a back en- see all kinds of abnormal comment†for this story.
“You didn’t want anybody pride festivals in the United trance displaying a sign and destructive behavior Russ heard a different mes-
to see you,†he said, “be- States in 2015, up from 179 and rainbow flag. celebrated,†Camenker sage from Hagerstown
cause sometimes at clos- in 2014, said Sue Doster, a Mormon church policy said. Anti-gay sentiment is Mayor David Gysberts, who
ing, people would get beat co-president of InterPride, holds that acting on same- more often expressed on- told her school’s anti-bully-
up in the street.†which tracks and promotes sex attraction is a sin, peo- line now, said Gavin Grimm, ing assembly that he is gay.
Beachley, now 69, plans to the events. CenterLink, a ple in same-sex couples a transgender 17-year-old “It was just very cool to see
be out in broad daylight network of LGBT resource can be excommunicated, in rural Gloucester County, someone like a mayor say
Saturday as the western centers offering everything and their children cannot Virginia, who challenged that in front of a bunch of
Maryland town of 40,000 from legal aid to youth ac- be baptized until they’re his school district’s bath- kids,†she said.
holds its first downtown tivities, now reaches across 18 and have disavowed room policy and won in Gysberts said he encour-
LGBT pride festival, on the 40 states, with a member- homosexual relationships. federal appeals court. The aged organizers to move
same block where the Bull ship that has nearly qua- Still, Nestor said he’s seen school district asked the Su- the pride festival down-
Ring once stood. drupled to 170 in the past little open hostility. “I was preme Court on Wednes- town from the county park
He calls it “mind-boggling†decade, said CEO Terry born and raised in the val- day to block Grimm from where it had been held for
that lesbian, gay and trans- Stone. Tom Nestor said he ley here,†said Nestor, 60, “I using the boys’ restroom several years.
gender people can cele- co-founded the center in never thought I would see when school resumes in “I think this is very good for
brate openly in the center downtown Pocatello, Ida- gay marriage and a sign September until the high the community and a posi-
of the historically blue-col- ho, in 2012, in response to that said LGBT on it in the court decides whether to tive sign that we’re making
lar city 70 miles from Wash- LGBT teen suicides in south- state of Idaho, and now review the case. progress,†he said.
ington, D.C. eastern Idaho, a conser- we have both.†The trend “The negative people are Former mayor William
Pride events have been vative, rural region with a alarms Brian Camenker, ex- cowards,†Grimm said. Breichner made headlines
held annually in the na- large Mormon population. ecutive director of MassRe- “They sit behind a com- in 2003 when he likened
tion’s capital since 1975, People can visit discreetly, sistance, a Waltham, Mas- puter and say whatever a proposed drag queen
but change has come through a coffee shop in sacusetts-based group that they want but that’s as pageant in the city to a
much more slowly in small- far as they go. The people Ku Klux Klan rally or a hobo
er communities. Advocates who support me go out of convention because of
say that only now, after their way to contact me what he considered nega-
federal court victories le- and reach out in a positive tive publicity.
galizing same-sex marriage manner.†Breichner said he’s fine with
and affirming other LGBT Ty Russ, a 15-year-old trans- the pride festival, though:
civil rights, have lesbian, gender girl in Hagerstown, “You know, the times have
gay, bisexual and trans- said she was confused by changed considerably
gender people been able sermons at her family’s In- and, naturally, my thoughts
to live openly without fear ternational Pentecostal Ho- regarding that sort of thing
of discrimination in many liness Church. of have changed,†he said.
small towns. The proof can “Those people were really Festival organizer Todd Gar-
be seen in pride festivals nice but preached hate,†nand, 29, is a great-neph-
and LGBT resource centers Russ said. ew of Ron Beachley,q
popping up across rural The denomination de-
