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LEWISTOWN -- Today, more Americans identify as being gay than ever before. The latest research, which asked Americans if they identify as LGBTQ, indicated that 4.5 percent, or about 1 in every 25 people say they are gay.
At 28 percent, Pennsylvania has the 22nd highest LGTBG population in the 50 states. Nevada and California rank closely as the top two states as each has about half of its population as being gay.
Despite the growing numbers, headlines are filled with stories of hate crimes and segregation. Local officials say these issues exist here in the Juniata Valley.
"I believe that the issues for our LGBTQ community here in the Juniata River Valley are the same issues that are everywhere else in some ways," said Michelle Bolton, administrator for the Mifflin Juniata LGBTQ Alliance which formed in 2019. "I'm from Lancaster County, and my county is known to be a very diverse and an LGBTQ accepting county.
"It's not out of the ordinary to see representation of LGBTQ support in the form of flags or banners outside of homes, businesses, churches, and public buildings," she added. "However, that representation does not mean that intolerance is not still present and LGBTQ individuals still face violence in those areas."
The Alliance was formed to provide a safe space, support, education, advocacy and representation for the LGBTG community in Mifflin and Juniata counties.
"I introduced the idea of an alliance by hosting an event in the back room of the East End Coffee Co.," Bolton explained. "The room was filled with people. (Business owner) Ryan Cherry had to keep bringing us chairs to accommodate everyone.
"I think so many of us were blown away by just how many people were in the room that night," she added. "We had every color of the rainbow in that room, plus so many allies. The energy was incredible."
The momentum didn't last long as the global pandemic kept the alliance from meeting and being in a shared space like that again for some time.
Bolton also stepped away to deal with personal issues. "I remember everyone saying, 'It's about time this happened in this area.' At the beginning of this year - 2023 - I reached out to Rebecca Wills at The Abuse Network and told her it's time we get this project rolling again."
The alliance meetups are scheduled every second Tuesday of the month from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Compass Building in Lewistown.
"We continuously are learning about the issues that our LGBTQ community in the Juniata River Valley are faced with," Bolton said. "The monthly meetups allow us to connect with LGBTQ individuals and their families in the Juniata River Valley to better understand how an alliance will benefit the Juniata River Valley."
The meet ups are open to anyone who needs support. "We get a variety of attendance but there is always someone new at the meet ups," Bolton explained. "We are looking for anyone who would be interested in growing the alliance and ask them to reach out to us.
"We would love to host events, partake in community events and projects, gather resources and continue to organically grow the alliance in the direction it goes depending on the needs of the
LGBTQ community in the Juniata River Valley," she added. "We could use as many hands as possible to see these ideas become possible."
For more information, find the Alliance's page on Facebook and Instagram.