Reflective Essay: From Oppression To The Mormon Community

I am what you would typically think of as a progressive urban liberal. I was raised however in rural Idaho, in the heart of the Mormon-belt. Some would argue that my home town was not that rural. Pocatello is a town of that when I was growing up had about 45,000 people, over 75% of whom were Mormon. As I started to explore my sexual orientation it quickly became an issue in the town. I was kicked out of the church, kicked-out of my family’s home, I was able to get a graveyard job, rent a small room and continue in school. However, several community members were still having no part of this, the radio station was threatened with child-labor law-suit because I was working the overnight shift at 16. I lost that job, ended up dropping out of school so that I could get a job, which again did not last long before I was let go and no-one in the town would hire me. Left with limited options I packed up and headed for the west coast.

My personal experience left an impression on me of rural lifestyles being very supportive of one another in a ensuring that the basic need of other were met; so long as you were part of the dominant culture.

Oppression, is quite rampant against marginalized communities. The last several years have shown just how strong some of that oppression can be. After passing the Houston Equal Rights Ordinance, there was a large push to put it on the ballot. I worked with a team of people to review all of the signatures, over 70% came from rural areas outside of Houston. The petition was struck down but eventually overturned by the Texas Supreme Court. A group of people’s rights was headed to the ballot box, where it eventually lost to the fear campaign against sexual and gender minorities, with a large focus of attacks on the trans community. These attacks have continued the Texas Legislature is going into a special session next week to try and strip away basic rights and human

dignity.
I have found that if you deal with most people on an individual basis it is easy to talk with them from their frame of reference. It is this individual contact that is needed to change the perceptions and values that exist from not knowing something. Rural areas are usually so culturally homogeneous that these fears spread quickly. I find myself to be somewhat of an outlier in almost every setting I am an so I am able to take stock and speak with people from their perspective, giving this understand will open up the ability to find common ground.