Gender Justice

In Alabama, gender has been used by politicians to divide working-class folks. 

Politicians have used the South and other rural areas as testing grounds for policies that divide communities and instill fear in order to spread their regressive agendas nationally. Historically, these wedge issues have been around gay marriage, abortion, and reproductive health, and now increasingly are targeting trans folks – especially trans youth. 

Despite the political powers that be attempting to erase queer visibility in the South – it is undeniable that Alabama is a very queer place.

Thirty-three percent of queer folks live in the South, a larger per-capita population than in any other region. Yet, national progressives have abandoned the South and ceded the regional narrative, allowing the belief that the South is exclusively a bastion of conservatism to spread like wildfire.

Hometown Action is fighting to take back the narrative of our region, build community, and create mutual aid networks and safe spaces for queer and transgender Alabamians. Rural trans and queer people have always been the heart of our membership base driving our mission to build inclusive small town communities. Our members helped win the first rural nondiscrimination ordinance in Montevallo, AL and have organized to fight back against restrictions to reproductive freedom and LGBTQ rights, including bans on transgender healthcare. 

Through monthly Community Gatherings, we are creating space for rural trans/queer people and their loved ones to share their stories, heal their traumas, educate their peers, and commit to collective action for an Alabama where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.