Living in the Buckle: Promoting LGBT Outreach Services in Conservative Urban/Rural Centers

Abstract

LGBT Outreach Center (LOC) faces the difficult task of marketing outreach services to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals in a conservative rural/urban center. Creating internal messages that support the LGBT identity is critical to organizational member support. However, presenting external messages to a community-at-large that tends to be unsupportive of LGBT individuals is daunting. Focus groups identified obstacles to outreach and fundraising. Recommendations are provided for LGBT outreach centers in conservative areas.

Keywords:

• Bisexual
• Conservative
• Gay
• Lesbian
• Marketing
• Outreach
• Rural
• Transgender

The authors would like to thank Rob Stashi and the staff of NMRO for their assistance with this project.

Notes

The names of participants have been changed to protect their identity.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kristina Drumheller

Kristina Drumheller (PhD, University of Missouri-Columbia) is an Assistant Professor of Communication at West Texas A&M University in Canyon, Texas.

Bekki McQuay

Bekki McQuay (MA, West Texas A&M University) is the former director of the LGBT Outreach Center.