Photo — Panji Tedja — Unsplash

I wanted to flee my rural hometown to go somewhere, anywhere I could find people like me.

Being gay in rural America was lonely. Most believed we were the only ones. Escaping was the only option.

Many rural LGBTQ are drawn to the city to explore their same-sex attractions. The city is intriguing, exciting, and liberating, but at the same time, it seems foreign, inhospitable, and sometimes too “feminine.”