Spencer Pride says it's the smallest community in the United States with an LGBT center.Īnd while several of Indiana's larger cities have Pride events - think Indy, Fort Wayne, Lafayette and Bloomington, to name a few - Spencer may be one of the smallest Hoosier communities to celebrate and support its LGBT residents, with its annual festival this weekend. Through volunteer work and downtown revitalization efforts, Spencer Pride is finding common ground even with those who disapprove of the LGBT community.Īnd Spencer Pride's presence is part of the town's rebirth: After more than a decade of advocating for LGBT people in rural Indiana, Spencer Pride opened a volunteer-run downtown storefront, selling locally made jewelry, soaps and other gifts while providing LGBT resources to the rural area. Once smaller, quieter and more apprehensive about how it fit into the community, Spencer Pride has now carved out its place in town. More small-town news: Trump's budget targets rural Indiana despite overwhelming support Quick thinking: Nursing student revived Snake Pit partier without a pulse Takeout time: UberEATS starts delivery from Indy restaurants Approve or don’t approve, they see us as people.” “Can’t be a stranger,” said Spencer Pride co-founder Judi Epp. Still, it can be hard to hate or oppose someone you know, someone you talk to, someone you work with.
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Yet messages of opposition to the LGBT community are clear: snide remarks and smashed mailboxes, intimidation and bullying. People say a certain amount of “live and let live” allows everyone to stay in their corners. This is the new home of Spencer Pride, a local lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender nonprofit organization.įrom the outside, many in the town of 2,217 seem unerringly polite, downplaying any clash between the LGBT community and conservative residents. At the heart of Spencer, a historic county courthouse with a copper dome pays homage to war heroes with memorials around the immaculate lawn.Īnd at one end of downtown, two towering rainbow flags stand outside a storefront. Railroad tracks cut through the town square. SPENCER – Some 50 miles southwest of Indianapolis, down a stretch of highway filled with trucks, and then along a winding two-lane country road, tiny Spencer looks almost exactly like what you would expect from a Midwestern small town.Ī quarter buys you two hours on the downtown parking meters. In addition to operating the Spencer Pride commUnity center, we have two annual events each year and also host a variety of other educational events and services.Watch Video: Indiana town celebrates LGBT community The Spencer Pride commUnity center offers a variety of services to the local community and serves as the made headquarters for Spencer Pride, Inc. The commUnity center includes Unity, our retail shop. Unity is open every Friday and Saturday from 10 AM until 7 PM. With this opening, Spencer became the smallest town in America with such a resource. In September of 2016, Spencer Pride opened an LGBTQ+ center in downtown Spencer. We are entirely volunteer-run and are always on the look out for passionate people who wish to help us achieve our mission. We welcome everyone to join us as we continue to cultivate a community of compassion & celebration for all people.
We provide a voice for the LGBTQ+ community to help foster an environment where there is no disparagement in opportunity simply because of one’s gender expression, sexual orientation, or related perceptions of the same. is focused on educating the public about rural lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people and issues in order to make Indiana a safer and more welcoming place. is the founding member of the Hoosier Pride Network.
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It is also a member of InterPride, the international association of pride organizations. is a proud member of the Owen County Chamber of Commerce and the Indy Rainbow Chamber of Commerce. We also hold an annual LGBTQ+ History Month event entitled “A Night at the Tivoli” each year in October. We achieve this goal by organizing the Spencer Pride Festival each year on the lawn of the Owen County Courthouse in Spencer, just 17 miles west of Bloomington (Indiana University) nestled in the rolling hills of south central Indiana. is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization that seeks to create educational events about the rural lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex community in South Central Indiana.