Former political candidate found dead; Police say Vanderpool shot himself

Matthew D. Vanderpool, who lost a bid for the 45th District state House of Representatives seat last fall, was pronounced dead of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head early Wednesday, several hours after Lexington police responded to a call about a suicidal man at 812 Wheatcroft Court.

Authorities went to the address after a man who lives out of state called police about 9:40 p.m. Tuesday, saying his son was having suicidal thoughts and had a gun, Lexington police Lt. Rodney Sherrod said.

When police arrived at the home, near Russell Cave Road and Interstate 75/64, they heard a gunshot coming from inside the home and a window break in the garage, Sherrod said.

Police evacuated neighbors and used a phone and a bullhorn to try to make contact with whoever was inside.

Vanderpool, 26, was later found in the garage, Lexington police Lt. Raymond Roller said.

Fayette County chief deputy coroner Miles White said the coroner's office was called at 12:49 a.m. Wednesday. Vanderpool was pronounced dead about a half-hour later. White said the Wheatcroft Court address is the home of Vanderpool's mother.

At 7:36 p.m. Tuesday on Facebook, Vanderpool reminisced about his life and his friends.

"I have friends that are by my side like security at a presidential debate," he wrote. "They protect me from not only others, but from myself. We have shared some crazy times, happy times, sad times and times that we will never forget ... one because the video camera won't let us and two because that is who we are as friends. My friends are my family."

Vanderpool closed the note by saying, "I've just been looking back today at some of the things I have done and started a list of the things I want to do! Just writing thoughts I guess."

Jordan Palmer, president of the Kentucky Equality Federation, who shared an apartment in Lexington with Vanderpool, said: "He was happy, and he wasn't having any problems that I'm aware of. He was a wonderful public figure and a wonderful person to talk to."

Palmer, who managed Vanderpool's House seat campaign, said Vanderpool had an open mind about everything and all points of view.

Palmer, who has another home in Hazard, drove to Lexington on Wednesday after receiving a call about Vanderpool's death from state Rep. Ruth Ann Palumbo of Lexington, he said.

Palmer said he had talked to Vanderpool by phone a couple of days before his death and didn't notice anything wrong with his friend.

Vanderpool, who was openly gay, was at the Kentucky Equality Federation's booth during last month's Lexington Pride Festival, a celebration of Central Kentucky's gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community, Jordan Palmer said.

"He begged me to go to the after-parties," Palmer said.

Vanderpool and his mother drove to Hazard in June to protest the expulsion of two gay men with mental disabilities from a city-owned swimming pool, he said.

"He had a strong sense of what was right and wrong," Palmer said. He also said that he and his friend didn't always agree on politics but could "always find mutual ground."

Vanderpool, a Democrat, defeated Michael Coblenz, a patent lawyer and Air Force veteran, in the May 2010 45th District primary. Vanderpool raised only $150 for the campaign, and he said he didn't buy a single yard sign or advertisement. Coblenz raised $6,000.

In the November general election, Vanderpool received 6,217 votes to Republican incumbent Stan Lee's 13,135. During the race, Vanderpool said he was a "worker" and Lee was an "ideologue."

"We have lost a very promising young man, and we offer our deepest sympathy to Matthew's family and friends," said Fayette County Democratic Party chairwoman Brenda P. McClanahan, who is a member of the state executive committee.

Vanderpool, a Lexington native, was a customer-service representative for Tempur-Pedic, a disaster-relief specialist for the American Red Cross and a member of the Young Democrats.

Survivors include his parents, Thomas Vanderpool of Corbin and Judy Kovacs of Lexington; his stepmother, Brenda Vanderpool of Corbin; his stepfather, Doug Kovacs of Lexington; and a brother, Justin Vanderpool.

A memorial service will be at 6 p.m. Saturday at Kerr Brothers Funeral Home on Harrodsburg Road. Visitation will be after 4 p.m. Saturday at the funeral home. Memorial gifts are suggested to the Lexington chapter of the American Red Cross.

Read more here: http://www.kentucky.com/2011/07/14/1810483/former-political-candidate-found.html#storylink=cpy

Discrimination incident in Hazard handled with care

By Bruce Burris and Crystal Bader

Opinion - Op-Ed

 - Bruce Burris and Crystal Bader are owners of Latitude Artist Community, a Lexington agency with an emphasis on serving those with disabilities.

July 19, 2011 - Kentucky, as we know only too well, plays a role on the national stage as the butt of many cruel jokes and condescending asides.

Who hasn't felt that "oh no, not again" feeling when faced with yet another derogatory joke, study, survey, celebrity anecdote and so on which our entertainment and media industries gleefully cultivate?

Most recently, Lexington was stung when named by a men's magazine as the "most sedentary" city in the U.S., apparently based on a rather dubious study that did little more than combine the number of video games bought with the amount of television watched.

If Lexington may on occasion be stung, then little Hazard has often found itself at ground zero for this form of national hazing.

In early June, all the ingredients for a perfect media storm were brewing there, the result of an incident at a city swimming pool in which two gay men (both with intellectual disabilities) were expelled by an employee of the city who cited the Bible while admonishing both men for what, in his opinion, was an excessive display of "gay" affection.

National and even international media followed, as expected, and there was no shortage of outrageous and patronizing coverage.

But what news sources failed to cover was the remarkable way in which those implicated (the city), those aggrieved (the couple), their provider/company and its staff (Mending Hearts) and those who helped advocate and educate (Kentucky Equality Federation) worked together to find common ground and a viable solution.

To us, the most compelling aspect of this story is the way in which Mending Hearts supported its constituents. They never shied away from the simple truth that their clients are gay. According to news reports, it was the agency itself that contacted both Hazard city officials and Jordan Palmer of the Kentucky Equality Federation.

From this, there is much to learn by nearly everyone involved in supporting those considered to have intellectual disabilities in Kentucky. It has been very disappointing to note how little the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, various university-affiliated research and education institutions and related programs and agencies responsible for study and training in the field of disability have done in support of those with intellectual disabilities who are also gay, lesbian, or bisexual.

The silence here pretty much sums up our culture's lack of resolve and makes the practice of discriminating against gay clients — not to mention gay caregivers — acceptable.

While it is probably true that most providers do their best to support gay clients and their staff, substantial numbers do not. In recent years, the Cabinet has courted faith-based providers, some of whom choose legally not to employ gay staff.

Discriminatory hiring practices are, of course, not limited to faith-based providers. But if employing gay caregivers is discouraged by a provider agency, are we really to believe that such agencies are capable of supporting gay clients?

Yet all providers have a mandate to do just that.

Earlier this year, we heard of a local agency that chose to separate two gay clients who shared a residential facility, rather than support the relationship. And recently a longtime case manager mentioned to us that she had never received any training on support of such clients. We believe this gap in education must be addressed.

Our thanks to those involved in the Hazard pool reconciliation for providing a wonderful example of how to support all people. This, in turn, invigorates and encourages the rest of us to stand up and do the right thing in our own day-to-day efforts.

Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2011/07/19/1816199/discrimination-incident-in-hazard.html#storylink=misearch#ixzz1U1beGyyI

Jordan Palmer Releases Statement On Death Of Former House Candidate

Kentucky Equality Federation president Jordan Palmer released a statement Wednesday, mourning the death of a former state house candidate who shot himself during a standoff with police.

Palmer served as Mathew Vanderpool's campaign manager in the Kentucky House District 45 race. Vanderpool challenged Republican incumbent Rep. Stan Lee.

"Mr. Vanderpool is/was my roommate and a wonderful person; he also volunteered for Kentucky Equality Federation. I am devastated by this loss. His loss will be felt by everyone who knew and loved him; I knew him since 2006 when he first approached me about volunteering for Kentucky Equality Federation and one day running for public office. He was a wonderful friend and I will miss him forever," Palmer wrote.

Police say they responded to a home on Wheatcroft Court around 9:45 p.m. Tuesday to check on a person inside the home. When officers arrived, they heard a gun shot. Police evacuated residents nearby as a precaution, and an emergency response unit later entered the home.

The coroner says Vanderpool, 24, was found with a fatal, apparently self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head in a car in the garage of the home.

Vanderpool defeated an Air Force veteran and a lawyer to win the 2010 Democratic primary for the 45th district of Kentucky's House of Representatives. Lee defeated him in the general election last November.

During the campaign, Vanderpool told LEX 18 that he was running not as a "gay candidate, but as a candidate who happens to be gay."

News Link: http://www.lex18.com/news/former-campaign-manager-releases-statement-on-death-of-former-house-candidate/

Hazard pool employee suspended, policies rewritten after expulsion of gay men

As protesters spoke out on Saturday against the expulsion of two gay men with intellectual and developmental disabilities from a city-owned pool in Hazard, the city took several steps to try to remedy the situation.

Kim Haynes, the city employee who cited the Bible while telling the men and their caregiver to leave the Hazard Pavilion on June 10, will be suspended without pay for five days because of his "failure to be respectful to the public," "unsatisfactory job performance" and "his use of inappropriate language" about pool policies, the city said in a press release.

The release also states the city plans to:

• Issue a letter of apology to the staff of Mending Hearts Inc., the company that provides care for the two men.
• Install a new sign that makes clear that the Hazard Pavilion is "available for use without regard to race, ethnicity, color, creed, national origin, age, sexual orientation or physical/mental disability as required by federal and state law."
• Modify its rules-for-conduct sign to include its previously unwritten prohibition against "excessive public displays of affection," and
• Provide additional training to the pavilion staff regarding non-discrimination laws and regulations.

Jordan Palmer, president and co-founder of the Kentucky Equality Federation, which organized the protest outside the Hazard Pavilion, said those actions are "a step in the right direction," but suspending Haynes is "still not sufficient for us."

"He's got to be moved to another area of government," Palmer said. The equality federation is an advocacy group for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex.

Saturday, in addition to a press statement, the city also released an 18-page report on the investigation into the incident at the pool.

Conducted by Hollon & Collins law offices, the report included interviews with several people, including Laura Quillen, the Mending Hearts caregiver who had accompanied the men to the pool, but not the men themselves. One of the men is under state guardianship, and a state official told the law firm that the state was opposed to them interviewing him.

The report cites conflicting reports about the events at the pool and what prompted the men to be kicked out. Haynes said he saw the men, who he was unaware were disabled, "hugging" "getting friendly" and "fondling" each other in the pool and that he saw the men "fondling" outside the pool but that they were not touching each other's private parts.

According to the report, Haynes said he approached the men "in a humble way and asked them to leave."

Haynes said a woman nearby — who later was identified as Quillen — jumped up and asked why, saying "You can't do that, that's discriminatory."

He said he asked the men to leave because a woman with a child left because of the behavior and a man had complained that the men were kissing in the pool.

A lifeguard and a patron of the pool both said they saw the men hug and kiss each other on the lips while in the pool. Quillen, however, said that she did not see the men hug, kiss or engage in any other display of affection in the pool.

She said that when getting a refund for pool admission, Haynes said he was sorry to have to ask them to leave "but we can't tolerate what was going on."

She said she replied that that was fine, but it was discrimination.

To that, she said Haynes replied, "You need to read the Bible more often, we don't tolerate that down here."

News of the incident made national headlines. In its news release the city said that the manager of the recreational facility, Charlotte Pearlman, has been reprimanded for using "insulting and obscene language" while declining to comment to CNN. The city said it "extends its apologies to CNN and to the staff of Anderson Cooper 360."

Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2011/06/18/1780622/hazard-pool-employee-suspended.html#ixzz1Pwe1xwWP

2 punished after disabled gays told to leave pool

By: The Associated Press | The Associated Press | 06/18/11 8:37 PM

An employee at a public swimming pool in eastern Kentucky was suspended for a week without pay after telling two disabled gay men to leave, city of Hazard officials said Saturday.

The suspended city employee Kim Haynes told investigators that the two men were engaged in an excessive display of affection June 10, and that he would have told any other couple to leave had he seen similar behavior. Haynes, however, also acknowledged he said "We don't tolerate that kind of activity around here" and cited the Bible in an argument with Laura Quillen, a member of the social service group Mending Hearts, which was overseeing the group.

Quillen told investigators the men did nothing inappropriate.

According to a report released by city attorney Paul R. Collins, summing up the conflicting accounts, at least one witness saw the men "standing 'man to man' or 'belly to belly' in the pool . splashing each other with water and pushing each other under the water." The witness "also said he observed them hug each other on at least one occasion" and give each other a kiss, the report said.

Pearlman and Haynes were not at work on Saturday and could not be reached by the newspaper for comment by telephone.

Meanwhile, dozens of people rallied at the pool Saturday in support of the gay men.

"It's time that people stood up for people. It's just the right thing to do," Marsha Morgan from Leslie County told WYMT-TV.

Jordan Palmer, president of the Kentucky Equality Federation, said the men were discriminated against.

"There was not kissing, and there was nothing of that sort. One of them sat on the other's knee and that was it," said Jordan Palmer, president of the Kentucky Equality Federation.

The manager of the Hazard Pavilion also was reprimanded for unbecoming conduct, The Courier-Journal reported. Charlotte Pearlman used inappropriate and obscene language when declining comment to a television news crew, the city said.

The city also said new anti-discrimination signs will be posted at the pool, as well as signs warning against excessive public displays of affection.

Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/news/2011/06/2-punished-after-disabled-gays-told-leave-pool#ixzz1PwlmvWSN

Protestors Rally at Hazard Pool

The city of Hazard has now taken action against an employee who kicked two mentally challenged gay men out of a pool for acting inappropriately. About 100 people showed up Saturday from across Kentucky outside the Hazard Pavilion Pool to protest.

"I was more embarrassed that these issues are still prevalent in our region," says Pastor Edith Baker.

It's now been one week since a worker kicked out the two men, after one sat on the other's knee. The group "Mending Hearts" who was supervising the men, complained the cited the Bible and said that "gay people weren't allowed to swim there."

"It's important to let people know this happens everyday, and they can't do that," says Kevin Holmes.

Police officers kept watch on the protest to make sure things remained calm. While other protestors showed up to defend the pool worker. "I really don't think it was an issue of homosexuality, because I don't think these two men were asked to do anything that heterosexual couples wouldn't be asked to do. I mean this is a family facility, people bring their babies here," says Kristi Dixon.

The city attorney said the worker, Kim Haynes, will be suspended without pay for five days because his inappropriate language could imply the city enforces rules based on religion. But the president of the Kentucky Equality Federation who organized the rally, says that's not enough. "If he not issue an official apology, and is reassigned to another area of government, then we will sue the city of Hazard," says Jordan Palmer.

City officials say they will be posting signs at the pool stating the facility is open to all types of people, but that excessive public displays of affection will not be tolerated.

Lex18 - Lexington News Link:  http://www.lex18.com/news/protestors-rally-at-hazard-pool

Lex18 - Lexington Video Link: http://www.lex18.com/videoplayer/?video_id=16483&categories=233

Rally held for gay men allegedly kicked out of pool

On Saturday, dozens of people protested the actions of a city employee, who allegedly removed two gay men with disabilities from a facility run by the city of Hazard.

In a report released by the city, a lifeguard at the Pavilion alleges the men were repeatedly hugging and kissing. Facility officials say this is inappropriate for both heterosexual and homosexual couples.

However, the Kentucky Equality Federation says the men were only sitting on each other's laps, and they were discriminated against.

Dozens from across the Commonwealth came to support the two gay men, who were allegedly thrown out of the Hazard Pavilion.

"It's time that people stood up for people. It's just the right thing to do." said Marsha Morgan from Leslie County.

"There was not kissing, and there was nothing of that sort. One of them sat on the other's knee and that was it," said Jordan Palmer, president of the Kentucky Equality Federation.

Palmer says the Pavilion worker, Kim Haynes, used the Bible to justify kicking the men out.

"Religion has no place in government, let alone a public facility. He did not have the right to do that to those people," said Palmer.

"I don't think it's a gay rights issue because a heterosexual couple would have been treated the same," said Kristi Dixon, who supports Haynes.

Dixon says she exercises at the Pavilion and knows Haynes, who she calls a meek, good man.

"If their behavior was extreme enough for Kim to say something to them, then it must have been really inappropriate," said Dixon.

The Hazard City Attorney says it was inappropriate for Haynes to argue with a patron and to use religious beliefs as grounds to kick out the couple.

The city did release a statement saying that the employee is suspended without pay for five days, but Palmer says that's not enough.

"If he does not issue an apology and is not reassigned into a different area of government, than we will sue the city of Hazard," said Palmer.

"This is a family facility. They bring their families here. They don't want to watch men and women have sex. They don't want to watch men and men. They don't want to watch women and women," said Dixon.

The city says the Pavilion is open to anyone who wants to join, and new signs will be posted reinforcing that commitment.

Gay advocacy group threatens public protest over men's eviction from Hazard pool

The Kentucky Equality Federation says it is planning a public protest because two gay men with intellectual and developmental disabilities were kicked out of a recreational center run by the city of Hazard on Friday.

The federation, which advocates for people who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or intersex, says the two were discriminated against because of their sexual orientation.

The city's attorney, however, said the facility does not discriminate, and "there is a dispute as to the facts of what transpired."

The men, who were not identified, had been swimming at the Hazard Pavilion with a group from Mending Hearts Inc., which provides care to people with mental retardation and developmental disabilities.

"The Pavilion staff immediately entered the pool area and asked my clients and their staff to leave the Pavilion," Shirlyn Perkins, executive director of Mending Hearts, said in a news release issued Monday by the Kentucky Equality Federation. She said her staff "were informed that 'gay people' weren't allowed to swim there."

Perkins said Mending Hearts staff members argued that their clients were being discriminated against, but the Pavilion staff member "stated that what he was doing was in the Bible and he could do it."

"My clients, whom already feel ridiculed and different, left the city-owned facility crying and embarrassed for trying to participate in 'normal' activities that everyday 'normal' people do," Perkins said.

Ollie Adams, co-owner of Mending Hearts, said a staff member told her that the Pavilion employee told the group to leave after one of the men sat on the other's knee and put his arm around him while sitting outside the pool. "There was no kissing and hugging," Adams said.

Paul Collins, the city's attorney, said that he is still investigating, but based on initial information, "there seems to be a wide disparity between the versions of the events."

Collins said a lifeguard said he saw the two men repeatedly hugging and kissing in a corner of the pool.

"The staff at the Pavilion report to me that they do on some regular basis caution or warn individuals about excessive public displays of affection and that these warnings are given regardless of sexual orientation," Collins said.

City Manager Carlos Combs said that while Pavilion staffers try to stop public displays of affection, the city's policy is that "we don't discriminate against anyone."

Will Taylor, the Equality Federation's assistant regional director for Southern Kentucky, said he is planning a protest of city hall and the Pavilion unless "an official apology" is issued and "immediate corrective action" is taken.

"As a public community service, the Pavilion has a responsibility to provide equal treatment to all members of their facility and to properly educate their staff accordingly," Julia Oiler Spiegel, a representative of the federation, said in the news release.

Read more: http://www.kentucky.com/2011/06/14/1774098/gay-advocacy-group-threatens-public.html#ixzz1PvkzlQ9m

Bible cited as reason for kicking gay men out of public pool

Activists in Kentucky are planning a peaceful response after two gay men with developmental and intellectual disabilities were kicked out of a public pool.

A maintenance technician reportedly cited the Bible while telling the two men they couldn't swim at The Pavilion, a government-funded recreational facility in Hazard, Kentucky.

"We own this place and can tell you to leave if we want to," the couple was told, according to the Kentucky Equality Federation.

"The Pavilion staff immediately entered the pool area and asked my clients and their staff to leave the Pavilion," Mending Hearts Executive Director Shirlyn Perkins recalled. "My staff asked The Pavilion staff why they were being asked to leave, and they were informed that 'gay people' weren't allowed to swim there."

"My staff told this man that what he was trying to do was discrimination. The man stated that what he was doing was in the Bible and he could do it. My staff continued to argue with this man, but was ultimately forced to leave. My clients, whom already feel ridiculed and different, left the city owned facility crying and embarrassed for trying to participate in 'normal' activities that everyday 'normal' people do," she added.

"This is completely outrageous, The Pavilion is owned by the City of Hazard and paid for by our tax dollars," Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer said. "Rest assured Kentucky Equality Federation will not tolerate discrimination in any form and our Southern Kentucky volunteer management, as well as our Discrimination, Hate Crimes and School Bullying Committee have planned a peaceful response."

Will Taylor, the Kentucky Equality Federation's Assistant Regional Director for Southern Kentucky, explained that the city could stop planned protests at City Hall and The Pavilion by simply issuing an apology.


"In addition, should an apology and corrective action not be forthcoming, we call on Governor Beshear to rescind funding to The Pavilion and the City of Hazard in the spirit of his executive order prohibiting discrimination of LGBTI people in Kentucky government," he said.

Story Link:  http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/06/14/bible-cited-as-reason-for-kicking-gay-men-out-of-public-pool/

Growing Up Gay and Transgendered in Appalachia

Awareness about sexuality and gender differences remains painfully limited in much of the region, but some have begun sharing their stories

Tyler Watts remembers having a happy childhood: His parents gave him everything he ever wanted, but as a young teenager growing up in Hindman, Kentucky, a small town of around 700 people, nestled in the Appalachian mountains, Watts was also fighting demons. Comments and jokes -- both from strangers and even some members of his own family -- about "gays" and "fags" would jolt right to the pit of his stomach, but at the time, Watts wasn't quite sure why.

Looking back, the 37-year-old says he was terrified of admitting who he really was because of those comments he had heard growing up. "I was worried what people would think of me," he says.

Watts was born Tammy Watts, but for the last three years he has lived as a transgendered man. And thanks to an oral history project spearheaded by the nonprofit StoryCorps, whose mission is to provide Americans of all backgrounds with the opportunity to preserve the stories of their lives for posterity, and the Kentucky Equality Federation, which is focusing on sexual orientation in rural Kentucky, Watts is about to share his tale of growing up in rural Appalachia in the hope it can help other people like him. The stories are to be preserved at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress.

"I remember when I first started school and in my mind I related to myself as a little boy," he says. "When I went into first grade I'd get ready to use the bathroom the boys used and the teacher told me 'no no no -- this way'."

At first Watts thought he was gay. "Society coerces you into thinking you're something you're not," he says. "My parents were Jehovah's Witnesses at the time and I remember my mom would want me to wear dresses to meetings and I would throw a fit. I felt so uncomfortable in a dress, even as child. I hated it with a passion. In my head I was thinking 'You're dressing me like a girl and I'm not a girl'."

Watts began dating a girl in high school and eventually came out to his parents, but said it was when he went through his transition three years ago that the problems started. "My parents learned to deal with thinking I was a lesbian. But when I came out with my transition ... my mother has every right to hurt. She still lives [in Hindman] and works in a small office there and you know how small-office politics are."

He says he understands the emotions his mother is going through, but insists it's important for parents of transgendered children to go through a process of acceptance. "You may never understand it, but you can accept it. There's a lot of information out there. And your child is not the only one going through this."

Quinton Lewis's experience growing up in rural Kentucky was not dissimilar. Now 17 years old and in his final year of high school, he says he first realized he was gay when he was eight. "I didn't want to tell anybody. I felt alone. But I ended up telling my mom when I was ten and my friends when I turned 12."

Lewis remembers the day he broke the news to his mother. It was the night of November 2nd, 2004. "I was laying in bed, watching TV," he says. "I told myself that mom should know; that she will love me no matter what, so I wrote it on a piece of paper and told her to read it. She started crying and told me she'd still love me the same no matter what I am or who I date. I felt a lot better after I told her, but to this day I don't really talk about it with her.

"I'm scared to go to school; there are kids that pick on me because I'm gay. I'm scared to use the bathroom because I might get into a fight. These are rednecks and country people. I'm thinking about moving to a bigger city where I'll feel more comfortable living there; probably California or New York. I feel that if I tell other kids my life story, they might understand how I feel. They might be going through the same things I went through and I want to tell them how to get through it, who to talk to, and if they get picked on in school, who to tell and how to avoid it."

Josh Griffith is Director of Student Activities at Emory and Henry College, nestled in the highlands of Virginia. He wrote a series of columns for the college newspaper, the Whitetopper, which took the form of letters to the president about LGBT issues in rural Appalachia.

Before writing his first column, Griffith asked for help from some students. He got them to play an association game using the words "gay" and "Appalachian." The objective was to throw out words that students felt would reflect the ideas and attitudes of their peers.

For "gay," they came up with the following: fag, queer, glitter, homo, immoral, minority, flamer, closet, lesbo, rainbow, AIDS, and metropolitan. "Appalachian," meanwhile, garnered: banjo, redneck, hick, Deliverance, country, hillbilly, conservative, white, slow, bluegrass, and closed-minded.

Then, Griffith asked whether the students thought the two pictures they had painted were compatible. "Several people responded quickly -- 'no'."

Griffith wrote: "I've talked with so many LGBT people here in our mountains, and their stories are powerful. Experiences of abandonment, exclusion, attempted conversion and worthlessness make up a few of the themes from such stories. Also, self-respect, unexpected acceptance and powerful love complete their pictures. ... It is heartbreakingly inspirational, and yet it isn't wished for anyone."

Kentucky Equality Federation President Jordan Palmer says that's exactly why the Storycorps project his organization is collaborating on is so important. "For me it was difficult growing up in rural Kentucky in the early '90s. I was lead singer in a Christian band and went to a Methodist boarding school. I was sent to be 'de-gayed' as if it was a condition. We didn't have gay characters on TV and it wasn't spoken about. I even tried to commit suicide."

But, Palmer says, it's certainly not confined to rural communities -- and not all rural communities are closed-minded. "Usually families here are very tight knit; they pull together to make ends meet. I've actually felt more accepted in small communities than in some bigger towns."

Palmer hopes the oral history project will make people realize LGBT people are contributing members of society. "We have jobs, we pay our taxes. To me it's no different from being born blind. I was born this way and that's the way God intended me to be. It's about tolerance and acceptance. If they hear these stories -- stories of real people who have faced discrimination, harassment and name-calling, they may think twice about opening their mouths and saying something derogatory or negative."