Visit them at 290 S Commerce St. Frankston, TX or stay up to date on their workshops here!

Get your history out of the closet!!! Message me here, insta @queerjoyetx, or facebook to record your life. If you don’t- history will say we weren’t here or Queer :(

If you enjoy this interview consider supporting The Queer Joy Project by becoming a paid subscriber!

- Carolina (she/her)

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Walking into I Arted and Dyed is like walking through a portal to another city. The outside surroundings are similar to any small Texas town. Inside the shop is filled with colorful art or all kinds and yes, lots of tie dye goodies. Visitors are welcome to browse, purchase, or find a seat to relax and create with any of the art supplies generously donated by the community.

Now let’s hear from Jennifer!

I Arted and Dyed happened like a phoenix rising from the ashes. I had another job; it was not anything that I wanted to do for the rest of my life, but I was good at it. My favorite part about it was the people, the customers.

That job ended. I was like “what the fuck am I gonna do” and at that point I said out loud, “if I never have to work for anybody else again I will be happy.” Well, here we are. I got keys to the joint!

It was just a thought fart kinda thing like “what if we had a little spot…” The catalyst there, the thing that made us go “hmm this might actually could happen” was I was three doors down at the candle store, that’s our friend Monica. They have at the end of their building a spot, which is where I Arted and Dyed was originally, it was about 400 square feet, super tiny. I asked on a whim, “what’s the rent for that place?” She said what it was and I was like “hmm.”

Pieces just starting falling into place.

An art collective tried to get started here when we were in the process of opening. That kinda petered out. But in that same vein we needed something like that. So I was like “what could we do that could facilitate that sort of thing,” collectivist type shit. What if we got a bunch of local artists and we consigned for their work?

We opened September 2024. That Art Walk I was going around apostatizing artists and I’ve done that ever since. We have some that have been with us this whole time. It was born out of “I don’t want to work for anyone else” really.

Mary Anne, she’s one of those that was with us right from the jump, asked me one day about this place [current location] because it had been closed for 3 years. We came and looked at the place and I thought she was gonna think about it and sleep on it, but she called me and said “do you really want to do this” I said “yeah.” That was August of last year [2025]. We shut down for a month to get us over here. It was a lot of work to get us right around the corner but we went from 400 square feet to 4000 square feet. As much as I was excited to be in this place, I was still like “now they’re really gonna know that we’re here.” We can’t hide anymore.

The only thing I missed from my old job was the customers. When this happened I was like “those people aren’t gonna know where we are.” Well, little by little they’ve been trickling in here, it’s organically happening, they’re just finding us. I have gotten more artists being here, people started to come in and say “my friend said I should come here, I have some art to show you can I bring it?”

What I’ve heard people say when they come in here makes me believe that this is so much more than I even understand. To be the steward of that is a little pressure, but what an honor. Because so many weirdos have walked into this place and they’ve breathed when they walk in, their shoulders go down, their head comes up, they look around, and they are comfortable. We want to be a harbor, a safe space for those who don’t have a place. I’ve had people already come in here and talk about how this place is saving their life.

Queer Joy is this, you're in it. The freedom to be exactly that. This place is healing me just as much as it’s doing anything else. If it’s supposed to serve the community it’s supposed to serve us too. I needed this place more than I ever knew I needed it. This is a sanctuary really.

- Jennifer (She/Her)

Full Transcription #19 Jennifer

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Year 2 of The Queer Joy of East Texas is wrapping up! This project has brought me opportunities that I would not have thought possible and it thanks to all of the generous support my community has shown me.

The best way to support this project is to share it with others! I am always open to adding more interviews into the archive and connecting with others interested in this work. Message me on substack, on instagram @queerjoyetx, or email queerjoyprojectetx@gmail.com to connect.

This year I have added 8 new interviews to this archive; special thanks to Jolie, KayCee, Galvin, June, Avery, Rosalie, Jesse, and Nwoah for contributing your voices to this project!

-Carolina (she/her)

2025 in review:

I created a zine showcasing some of the pictures and quotes that have been collected through this project (message me if you would like a printed version!)

The Queer Joy Project had a booth at Tyler, Longview, and PineyWoods Pride!

I visited New York City to participate in the Columbia Oral History Summer Institute.

I was invited to be a panelist at SFA’s Women’s and Gender Studies Research Symposium to talk about creative work in East Texas.

This year I also started accepting paid subscribers and donations; I am proud to announce that The Queer Joy Project has 2 paid subscribes! Thank you both for your generosity!

2026 plans:

Keep a look out for events I’ll be hosting and participating in at the beginning of next year!

On February 21st I’ll be presenting at the Queer History South Conference hosted by Invisible Histories. This is a virtual conference full of great presentations, my presentation will be at 4:40!

On February 7th I am hosting an event with Pride Alliance of Lufkin to talk about Queer history. This is still in the planning stages, but more information will be available on instagram (@queerjoyetx) when available.

Also in the planning stages- at the beginning of next year I’ll be helping Recraft & Co in Tyler with a workshop on zine making! Follow the Queer Joy Project and Recraft on instagram to get more information!

I am also hoping to add some new content to this page, possibly some book reviews and short articles :)

Thank you again for your support throughout this year!

-Carolina

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If you enjoy this interview consider supporting The Queer Joy Project by becoming a paid subscriber!

- Carolina (she/her)

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“I am a Queer artist; I love being able to express the Queer Black experience in a lot of things that I make and create. One of my favorite art forms is through film and writing- I feel like those are two very powerful forms of expression that can transcend certain emotions.

Growing up being Black, especially being African, my parents are immigrants from Cameroon, being black was not something that my parents wanted to embrace very much. When I moved out of my parents house after I graduated high school I started to become more in touch with embracing and loving who I am as a black person. I went and visited my relative in Cameroon for the first time a couple of years ago. I saw who I was and where I came from and over time I’ve been learning to embrace and be proud of being black.

I’ve started embracing my more masc side and it’s been a switch that just hasn’t turned off. I feel more comfortable with myself, with being androgynous and leaning to a more masc, a more boyish side. I’m still on that journey, trying to figure out what works best for me, trying out new pronouns, figuring out what names make me the most comfortable, and continuing to find myself. I think for now, a label on both my sexuality and identity is just best summed up by Queer.

-

As far back as I can remember I’ve always wanted to be a clown. I thought it would be a good side job and a nice volunteer thing; and I make puppets. My dream is to one day be on Sesame Street. I went online, did some research, practiced makeup, made my puppet, and was like “okay, I’m gonna be a clown now” I started being a clown and the rest is history; I’m just a clown now.

-

Queer joy means looking in the mirror and seeing the person I’ve wanted to see since I was a kid. Queer joy feels like being in touch with yourself so deeply that you always knew this is who you are, but realizing it over and over with each step you take within your journey.

I recently got back a photo that was taken at the Tyler Film Festival. It was the last day of the festival, so I decided to do a little bit of drag. I gave myself a blue beard, and I’m wearing a skirt. I remember when I got this picture, I looked at it and was like “yep, this is who I want to be. This is who I want to be seen as going forward”. It’s definitely a photo that sparks that joy within me.

-

The last thing that I want to say, mainly for whoever reads this, is that you are better off spending your life being the person that you want to be rather than being something for other people. You may lose people in the process of accepting yourself as a Queer person, but there are always people, and I’ve been shown time and time again, there’s always people who will want to love you and want to accept you for who you are. Even though the world fucking sucks right now and there’s only so much we can do, there’s always people who want to be there and help.”

-Nwoah (they/them/he/em)

Nwoah Tayem Full Transcription

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I think that a lot of people get hung up on how to be Queer or what Queerness means to them but they forget that it’s not just a thing you do but it’s a thing that you are and it flows into everything you do. I do a lot of projects and it’s hard for me to not have a project that doesn’t in some way get influenced by my identities. If I’m writing something then my characters are probably Queer in some sense. A lot of it just comes down to that Queerness is a part of you and it shows up in everything you do or touch."

-Jesse (they/them)

Jesse Full Transcription

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Queer joy is being who you are and being loved and accepted regardless of who you are and how you identify. It is being able to be an active part of your communities and have the freedom to do so.

I am someone who is very loving and caring and giving. I’m surrounded by a loving and caring community, both my family and friends, they give to me and I give to them. I recognize that I’m very lucky, not a lot of people have that.

My friends have been my rock and my world, I love them to death. They help me realize and fully live my life and who I am. Being a part of a community that loves and supports me helps me further explore myself and grow.”

-Rosalie (She/Her)

Rosalie Smith Full Transcript

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Throughout the week we spoke on topics ranging from project design and ethics to immigration and the lives of Black Appalachians. I also had the opportunity to present my work on The Queer Joy Project of East Texas and share some of your stories!

Learning from the other fellows and speakers has given me so much motivation and inspiration for how to grow The Queer Joy Project. I am already working on some exciting updates and events for the coming months, so stay tuned!

This was truly a magical week that would not have been possible without the support of my community, especially those who have contributed to this project!

Starting in August I will be co-hosting a book club at The Glass House in Tyler! Our first pick is Martyr! by Kaveh Akbar and we will meet on August 26th from 6-8 PM.

I have also starting a paid subscription option for my subscribers. All of the oral history interviews, posts, and any other information on this site will always be free! Nothing collected for this project will ever be put behind a paywall. I have enabled the paid subscription option for anyone who would like and is able to monetarily support The Queer Joy Project. This money will go towards registering for events like Pride, buying materials like paper and ink for flyers and zines, and affording new equipment like microphones.

Thank you for all your support!

-Carolina (She/Her)

Cathy, a really important person in my life, I call her Mama Cathy, gave me a rainbow bead bracelet and said “I want you to wear these and always feel safe. Know that I love you and I’m here for you, wherever you are, feel safe” it was such a nice feeling.

The necklace I got at a pride festival, this person selling it said '‘you can have it if you can guess what the acronym means.” The acronym is “WWTGGATD”, which stands for “what would the girls, gays, and theys do.” I had to have a hint, but I got it. The person who made the necklace was so excited, he said “oh my god, you know my jewelry!” It was really pure Queer joy, seeing him so happy about his art, he said “you can have it, don’t pay anything just take it, I want you to wear it with pride.”

Those are two items that make me have a lot of Queer joy because I feel represented and loved when I wear them.”

-Avery Miller (She/Her)

Avery Miller Full Transcript

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[Being a Queer parent is] fantastic. My partner and I already went through the struggle of not knowing who we were and not having anyone there to help us figure it out. So as Queer parents we know that our daughter can always come to us no matter what she decides, even if it's just a phase or if it's genuinely her figuring out her identity. We are so excited to help her through her journey without feeling like she has to hide it whatsoever.

My partner has been the biggest influence in my life, especially here in East Texas because that's where I met them. They always drove me to be myself even when I did not understand what that meant.

There was a time where, before my partner and I were even together, just as friends we were heckled at the local mall just for holding hands. It was maybe 10-12 years ago and now nobody even takes a second glance. And it's a change I'm definitely happy about and I'm hoping that Longview continues getting progressive."

-June (Any Pronouns)

Interview #14 Full Transcript

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Being out and proud is scary sometimes, especially as a trans person, and especially in Texas. But I remind myself, and I think it's important for other people to also remember: we have to be out and proud, we have to be visibly Queer just to normalize it more. I try to remember how much seeing my community really brings me joy whenever I start to feel nervous about presenting a certain way, it helps me to be more comfortable with myself.

I think my first encounter with Queer culture was when I was pretty young and my parents took me to a pride parade. It was Longview Pride and I just remember walking around and seeing all the drag queens super dressed up. I don't think I even realized what the event was for, I was just going around having fun. I went another time when I was in middle school and that was the Longview pride also.

That year was really, really small, it was outdoors, and just a handful of vendors. There was like no one there, my mom was there with me and she was like “sorry it’s so small.” But even with it being small, I never got to see Queer people, just the fact that there were some Queer people out and about was really meaningful to me. I think people underestimate how much it means to see Queer people existing.”

-Galvin Smith (They/Them)

Interview #13 Galvin Smith

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Check out this video interview of Galvin at Iowa State! Humans of Iowa State - Galvin Smith

At my booth, while sharing some of the quotes from interviews I have done, I also invited people to write or draw what Queer joy means to them and add it to the display. Here were some of the responses:

you’re loved more than you know

to be able to hold my wife’s hand safely in public

queer joy to me is finally opening up no matter what somewhat thinks

queer joy is freedom and acceptance

safety.

beauty!!!

being loved in your own home

Freedom… to express myself, to be understood, and to give Love!

Queer joy means feeling like 2 million bucks, like you’re on top of the world. Why be sad and Queer when you can be joy and Queer!

Actually getting to BREATHE

When life is down, look at the bright side

loving how I want to

Queer joy is being able to relax my shoulders, stop clenching my teeth, and being able to relax, laugh, and cry with people that make me feel safe!

I have several amazing updates and interviews planned for July that I look forward to sharing with all of you! Please message me here or at queerjoyprojectetx@gmail.com with any questions or to schedule an interview!

Happy Pride :D

To reach more of our East Texas community I have set up a facebook!

Search “The Queer Joy Project of East Texas” or follow our page here: The Queer Joy Project of East Texas.

I am also currently working with Invisible Histories to archive interviews! If you or anyone you know would like to contribute an interview to this project or to Invisible Histories, please message me here or on facebook. All Queer East Texans are welcome, but I would love to have more contributors that are people of color.

My passion for expression and advocating through art, dance, and theater is a big part of who I am. I was a dancer and cheerleader my whole life. I didn't know really about being a drag king until I came out and my friends said, “You need to start watching The L Word” and there's a season where they really focus on the drag community. I was like, “Oh, you can be a drag king. I didn't know this world existed.” So I was able to combine my two passions of dancing and performing, and I got to perform in a different persona.

The drag community welcomed me with open arms and my drag mom eventually adopted me. I got to perform in a way that you traditionally don't get to when you're doing dance or cheerleading in school. I got to do my own choreography and interpret things the way that I wanted to. I wanted to open people's eyes to seeing situations differently to how they think they might happen; their thoughts about a situation versus actually seeing it or really knowing it. I had one performance where I performed a domestic violence situation; there are so many misconceptions about those situations. So being able to bring attention to those kinds of things is important to me.

There are kids books that talk about diversity and same sex families, but there's not really something for adults that are coming into the community, who are just now coming out and learning about themselves. My first book is The ABCs of Gender and Sexual Identities, and it is a handbook that provides an intro into different terms. There are so many different identities, so trying to put yourself under one category is difficult. This book is for learning, adventuring out, and realizing that you don't have to identify as one identity and your identity changes throughout your entire lifetime.

My second book is the ABCs of Pride Flags and it goes through the history and meaning of the flags. There's more than just the rainbow flag and I don't think a lot of people realize that, so when you dive into it there are so many different styles of flags and they all represent different things.

I had a booth at Pride this past year and it was one of those surreal moments being at Pride, having these books, and being part of the change was a really cool experience.”

-KayCee (any pronouns)

Buy KayCee’s books! The ABC’s of Pride Flags and The ABC’s of Gender and Sexual Identities

Interview #12 KayCee Full Transcript

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When you give people a chance and let them get to know you as a person- it's a lot harder for them to discriminate against you. So, I encourage all LGBT+ people to be who they are, but be good people first.

Karen and I both knew that the decision to legalize gay marriage could come down. We decided we wanted to get married in Texas, and I thought it would be cool to be the first. We were all ready to have it done that Friday, but when we went down to the courthouse, the clerk said that she couldn't give us the license, that she was waiting to hear from the state, and she said that she couldn't until she did. Karen and I said, “No, there are people doing it all over the state as we speak”. So, Karen called a judge that she knew, who was a constitutional lawyer, and he filed the case that afternoon. We were prepared to go either way the next Monday, and we went back down there and she issued the license. So then we went to a quick florist and called all our friends and went down and had the judge sign the waiver, and a dear man we knew and his wife agreed to marry us, and it happened that evening. I had my daughter present, and she had her godson and some friends and we made it happen.

The rights that we share now are due to a lot of brave people; each one of us, as we share our stories and share our gifts will help keep that going.”

- Jolie Smith (She/Her)

Read Karen’s interview here if you have not already!

Interview #11 Jolie Full Transcript

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Looking back at 2024:

The Queer Joy Project presented at the 2024 Invisible Histories Queer Teach-In

This project will be featured on a map of resources in “Generation Queer” by Kimm Topping set to release in 2025. Kimm is the founder of Lavender Education!

I am working with Invisible Histories through the Memory Keepers Project (IHNK) to archive oral histories in their database. (Stay tuned)

Thank you to everyone who helped me create this project and supported me in this process. And a special thank you to all of the lovely people that have contributed to The Queer Joy Project this year: Simeon, Layla, Eric, Karen, Brenda, Lou Anne, Al, Bunny, and Sam.

This project has been one of my greatest joys this year and I am looking forward to what 2025 holds. Please reach out to me if you want to be featured on this page, learn more about this project, hear about the Memory Keepers Project, or just to chat!

-Carolina

queerjoyprojectetx@gmail.com

RMC started in a small trailer on the side of Estes Pkwy in 2004 or 2005. It was just an old rundown trailer, but it was what everybody could afford at the time. 

Craig was the original guy who wanted to open RMC-he was amazing. The reason he wanted to open RMC was so the community would have a place to go and hang out. It didn't necessarily have to be about drinking or anything like that, it was more that there was a place for everyone to congregate. 

After that in 2009, Craig and Michael went together and they bought this (the current location) building on High St. It took him about a year or so to completely remodel the inside and get it ready to open. My partner and I helped him work on it. 

In 2010, RMC opened here. Rafael, Michael, Craig- that's where RMC came from. Rainbow Members Club came in at a later point in time. They had it open for many years, then it closed a little before Covid. It was closed for a couple of years then another man that I know, came in and tried to open it. He had it open about six or seven months, then I bought it from him and I've been running it as Cowboy Sam's RMC since November the 17th of 2023.

It's been a labor of love, I can tell you, it's required a lot. That's the same with Craig. He put more in this business than anyone could imagine. And so really, Craig is the one that you really need to focus on. He was the one that originally started this, I've just been lucky enough to come in. My partner and I were a big part of the club as well, we were always here, always a part of everything that happened. When he passed away, and the club was closed, I knew that he would want the club open. So that's the main drive behind me opening it back up.

I've put everything I can into the bar at this point, paying the bills and getting enough people here to pay the bills, and that's all I ever wanted out of it. It doesn’t have to make money, just as long as it could stay open. That's been my goal, just to keep it open and have it here for the community.”

-Cowboy Sam

Make sure to drop by Cowboy Sam’s RMC!

203 S High St, Longview, TX 75601

Full Transcript #10 Cowboy Sam

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My Queer identity is related to every aspect of myself. It relates to my autism in certain ways and to my disability in certain ways. I would not be who I am without being Queer and I'm very proud that I am Queer. 

I am disabled and I don't think people realize how much intersectionality there is to disabled people or other marginalized groups of people. Being disabled, being Queer, and being autistic gives me this different perspective than people who are not because I get to experience all of these different things. My brain works differently, my body works differently, my love works differently than what the societal norms are and when you connect all those things, there's this amalgamation of ‘This is me, this is who I am.’ You can't take one part without the other parts of me.

I myself am Pagan and I love the Pagan community here- it's very open and accepting, especially to the Queer community. There's a lot of intersectionality there because a lot of the Pagan people that I know are Queer. The Pagan community is one of those communities that is like “We’ve got your back, we want to protect you, we want to help you in any way we can.” I think that's very special, and it makes me so happy to see such an awesome community of people come together. It's so wonderful, because it doesn't matter if you're Pagan or not, you're still welcome.”

-Bunny (They/He)

Check Out Bunny’s Jewelry Business!

Full Transcript #9 Bunny

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But there is also a Queer joy in what I can only describe as the mundane, the ability to exist in a space without fear and worry. [Queerness] is not something to be ashamed of. Just the ability to talk, exist, to be, without having to be political. There's so much negative, and it's up to us to be able to balance that negative with the positive. 

The first picture that I thought of for Queer joy was June 3rd of 2023, I finally made the jump to buy the brow mascara for men. I added it, and I was like, “I kind of really like this, I'm gonna take a goofy picture. I have officially evolved into the goofy gay guy.” That is all I could ask for, that is all I could ask to be. 

Another example of Queer joy is when my partner (Bunny) and I went to the Witches’ Ball in December 2023. I surprised my partner by paying for a professional photographer there. It's become our motif because I did it again at their birthday. It just makes me giddy which is a form of queer joy, but it brings me happiness too.

Sometimes I get asked why I didn't change my name more from my dead name, I'm named after both of my grandmothers. [My dad’s mom] has since passed but we were close, and so I always wear my pearl necklace that has been in our family for centuries and that I had to remake recently.

I was going to have it restrung and then I realized even if I fix it, it sits at a length that's uncomfortable for me. I instead made it into something that is mine and so I added two millimeter moonstones and labradorites in between the stones, and some black tourmaline on the back to tie it all together. 

I was excited to talk about that being an analogy for who I am. I took what was given to me and made it mine. I took the names of these strong women in my life, because I can have those strong feminine roles in my life without them having to define my existence.”

-Al Whitaker (He/They)

Full Transcript Interview #8 Al

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When I first started trying to find an organization that I could get advice from, come out to, or find a community, I looked up a bunch of different organizations on the web, and the only one that was in Tyler was East Texas PFLAG, which is why I went. So my initial contact with PFLAG was on April the 10th of 2000 and I went there for support. I didn't know what I needed. I just knew I needed to know somebody else in this town that's gay.

Then PFLAG branched out and decided to participate in the Dallas Pride Parade, the Alan Ross Pride Parade. [Our float was] real cheesy, but we were proud of it.

PFLAG started an Adopt-a-Highway program in 2009. We put Tyler Area Gay's name on the highway sign, off the highway because there was no way we could put PFLAG on there unless we just used the initials, and no one knew what that meant. We tried parents and gays, we tried all kinds of things, and they refused to do it unless it was our legal name, they gave us all kinds of trouble. So we gave up and said, ‘Let's put this under Tyler Area Gays.’

In 2010, Tyler Area Gays worked with the Tyler Civic Theater to bring The Laramie Project here. Complaints led the theater board to not let the play go forward, but TAG and PFLAG had a pretty big protest on April 13th, 2010 across the street from the theater to rally the board into not not giving in to a few complainers and they changed their mind. They had us fund it and they had no objections at that point, because what else could they say? 

At that time, people were not out except to other gays and to get out there on the sidewalk and hold up signs for The Laramie Project. I was amazed at how many showed up and were willing to do that thing. It was really amazing.”

-Lou Anne Smoot (She/Her)

Check out Lou Anne’s book Out!

Interview #6 7 Lou Anne And Brenda

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There's been pockets of LGBT groups for ages, yet now, we've got more of a sense of a larger community. And I think the community at large is more aware of the LGBT community in the area and so it feels a bit more welcoming, open.

I didn't come out either till 46-47… as far as I knew then, it was just, friends, one or two, and you'd get together and have dinner or play board games…no big social gatherings or anything like that. No pride festivals or anything like that… and then outside of our groups you pretty much edited your life, but things have changed and the LGBTQ community is more visible. Who would have thought 20 years ago, or even 8-9 years ago, when we had the first difficulty with the city, that this year in 2024 the city allowed a big Pride festival in their brand new W.T. Brookshire Conference Center.

Pride in Tyler actually started with a picnic…and it had to be after 2008, probably 2010 [with 25-30 people.] Tyler Area Gay’s sponsored it, a picnic at Southside Park, and people would bring side dishes, and TAG would provide the meat and do the grilling, and then there'd be some silent auctions, and volleyball games set up, horse shoes, and some booths set up. That's how pride grew. But it actually started with a picnic, just a picnic, and then it began to pick up some…we'd grow every year anywhere from 50 to 150 people…and that went on for several years. It was a lot of fun. 

Then TAG bumped it up with a TAG Pride out at Lindsay park for several years. And you know, the drag show, a dog fashion show, that kind of stuff. So it moved from that to that and became much bigger vendor wise. And then this year, it was a big deal at the conference center. And we've been to every one of them, every pride, picnic, festival we've been to it.”

-Brenda McWilliams (She/Her)

Full Transcript #6 and 7: Lou Anne and Brenda

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We were engaged for, I think, a year and a half before the decision came in 2015…and sure enough, when the decision came down, we zoomed down to the courthouse.

We asked for a license that morning, and we were denied… so I turned to my lawyer, and I said, ‘File the suit. Get it filed today.’ and he and another attorney, worked together on the suit, filed it in federal district court that afternoon, and by Monday of next week, amazingly, Smith County had decided to alter the forms and give us a license.

And we called the minister and said ‘[the wedding] is on for tonight,’ called a restaurant and said we'll have a party of X number of people here tonight for our wedding dinner afterwards, called the limo company to come pick us up and take us there, went by the florist and picked out flowers for us and for the house, went and got the form signed by the judge, talked through all the other plans while we were driving back and forth from that county to home, called the kids, changed up the the layout of the house, so there were places for people to sit, and had champagne there, and then left and went to have dinner. I mean, we just absolutely threw it together.

We didn't have time to be nervous or have cold feet. It was just ‘Okay, What time is it? Who's coming next? What happens now?’ And it was exciting, it was absolutely exciting, and we never have had a formal reception or engraved invitations, nothing. But I mean, we had the kids there and our closest friends, and away we went. I don't regret a minute of it, not a minute.

—

One of the reasons that I stayed in Tyler… is that if I’m driving around in a car that has a rainbow sticker on it, or I'm wearing a shirt in a store, and some kid sees me and sees me as just going about my daily business and being satisfied with my life and happy, then that may give them a spark to know that it's okay for them to be happy too… they can be who they are here if they choose to.”

-D. Karen Wilkerson (she/her)

Full Interview_Karen

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