ASHELY
NORTH DAKOTA | SERIES # 4
My name is Ashley, and I’m a 22 year-old from New Rockford, North Dakota. I identify as queer. Growing up as a queer person in a small town in North Dakota was hard for me. At the time, I was the only one that I knew of who was out (I didn’t even think there were other members of the community), so I felt alone a lot of the time. Eventually, I left my small town when I moved for college. When I moved, I finally found other peers that were like me. I finally felt a sense of community.
In North Dakota, being gay is not common. Because of this, the LGBTQ community is not accepted widely here. While they’ve never been directed at me, I regularly overhear people use slurs. Wherever I go, I encounter someone using derogatory language about the LGBTQ community. This problem could easily be combated if more people proudly came out, and advocated for themselves. Eventually, this would make North Dakota a much better place.
Some advice I’d like to share for anyone who relates to me, is that it is important to find like-minded people. When you find people that are like you, their acceptance enables you to live authentically, without fear.
