good works ENCORE
Small Town Allies
Group provides LGBT support in Allegan County A
aron Redford knows it’s hard to come out in a small town — he came out as gay during elementary school in Martin. “In bigger places like California or New York it’s easier to be comfortable in society than, say, being in a small town like Martin,” Redford says. “Smaller towns have smaller mindsets than bigger towns, where people have explored different paths and been exposed to more.” Redford, 19, who moved to California this fall to start college, joined Small Town Allies two years ago. This group of 175 members from Allegan, Plainwell, Otsego and other nearby communities, provides a support network for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people and their allies in these small towns, hosting events and gettogethers at local coffee shops. For Redford, Small Town Allies is a “place to heal wounded minds and a place to make peace.” It offers a support system that, until the group was formed, had been absent in these communities but badly needed, he says.
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“Kids who don’t have places to go or talk when they’re coming out often struggle with suicide and sometimes run away or experience abuse,” he says. “So you need something like Small Town Allies. I know what I went through, and I want to make sure that other people can walk down the hallway at their school and not feel like they can’t talk or be themselves because they feel scared or awkward. This group helps open you up and show that it’s OK to be yourself.” Christopher Tanner, a member and organizer of Small Town Allies, says that since joining the group last April, he’s seen a lot of growth and interest in the support meetings and community events that Small Town Allies holds. He thinks it’s because a lot of smalltown residents, whether gay or straight, have been waiting for a group like this. “You don’t realize until you live in a smaller town how far away you really are from bigger towns and cities,” Tanner says. “So while we have a lot of people who would want to be in the Kalamazoo LGBTQ (the ‘Q’ usually
stands for ‘queer’ or ‘questioning’) or PFLAG (Parents, Friends and Family of Lesbians and Gays) groups, there’s a distance and time constraint. That’s why we try to make our group as similar to Kalamazoo’s (groups) as we can, so people can travel five minutes to go to a similar meeting or event instead of half an hour.” Small Town Allies started as a Facebook group in 2009, after founder Arlene Barber of Allegan attempted to connect with people interested in equality issues through a classified ad in her local newspaper and postings on bulletin boards around town. The ad and postings didn’t work, but the Facebook page attracted some followers. For a time, Small Town Allies was an exclusively online group. Then, in May 2013, Barber canvassed in Oshtemo Township with the Kalamazoo Gay Lesbian Resource Center regarding Small Town Allies members Arlene Barber, in the black T-shirt in the center, and Aaron Redford, holding the sign Gay Is Okay, joined other LGBT supporters for the Allegan County Fair parade in September.