QUEER PEOPLE ARE MAKING A MORE JUST HOME IN THE HEART OF THE SOUTH

Chandler Quaile

I open my eyes and am surrounded by ghosts, not the faceless specters of horror stories whispered to me as a child but the ones with bodies and faces I have seen on the news. And the ones I have seen in photographs begging the government to affirm their humanity. And the ones who called for justice long before I walked in their shoes. They all made journeys down dirt roads and overgrown footpaths and caravan trails, and in the public square, down pavement that had worn down many of the soles before mine. These last three weeks have been fought on sidewalks and boulevards, the capitol rotunda, and the galleries inside the chamber. I have met hundreds of people as they walked the long road of justice and shouted for change alongside a chorus of voices whose collective energy has rocked buildings and shook the halls of power. We look and sound different, having