Sarah Kiefer

Downtown Fayette is pictured from the corner of N. Main and E. Davis Street, looking towards the campus of Central Methodist University. Businesses line the street - all of the buildings are various shades of brick with different colored trims of green, red and rust, and awnings of purple, black and red. Several flags fly outside the shop windows advertising deals and fourth of july sales, and a lampost on the corner sports a banner that reads "Downtown Fayette" and features a drawing of the county courthouse. In the background, the campus of CMU can be seen, along with trees and a dormitory building.

KBIA News

"I could talk all day about how much I love rural medicine despite the challenges."

Sarah Kiefer

Dr. Brittney Marshall has been working in rural healthcare since her clinical days – now as the resident physician at the Family Medicine Clinic in Fayette. She spoke about why she chooses to work in – and loves rural medicine.

Hope Schust, who is a masc nonbinary queer person, sits on their bed on Friday, April 12, 2024, at their apartment in Columbia. “I'm attracted to female-bodied people. I am a stud, so I'm a masculine, African woman, and that's how I define my queerness. … I choose ‘queer’ when I label myself because I don't think I'm—I just have a lot of love for a lot of people: not just men, not just women. I like non-binary people, too. So, I think ‘queer’ just felt like a very comfortable label,” Schust said. “I guess I never quite thought of ‘queer’ as a slur. It never felt like I was reclaiming it. It just felt right. … When I say ‘queer,’ when I hear ‘queer,’ I always associate it with very positive things.

KBIA News

Hope Schust: “Being queer is beautiful. It's like a blanket on a cold day.”

Bailey Stover

Hope Schust is a masc, non-binary queer person who was born in Kenya. They spoke about how music impacts their life – allowing them to express their emptions and find solace in the midst of life’s changing environments.

Dani Emma Devine, left, kisses her girlfriend, Cheryl Barbero, on the forehead on Monday, April 22, 2024, outside Barbero’s apartment complex in Columbia. Devine met Barbero through Facebook less than a year ago. The pair chatted briefly online then decided to meet in person at The Center Project, mid-Missouri’s only LGBTQ+ community center. After realizing they had mixed up their dates for The Center Project’s “Lesbians Over 60” gathering, they changed course and opted to share a meal at Ernie's Cafe & Steak House instead. “I’ve never wanted to live more in the last 15 years than I have now since I’ve met Cheryl,” Devine said. “I’m so incredibly happy that it almost puts the definition back in being gay.” “She was just what I was looking for,” Devine continued. “There was so little disagreement about life in general … I don’t know, maybe a 10% or a 5% difference between her opinion and my opinion. And I used to say that the words that she says just as easily could have come from my mouth.”

KBIA News

Dani Emma Devine & Cheryl Barbero: "I needed to find the right person and I finally did."

Bailey Stover

Dani Emma Devine and Cheryl Barbero are girlfriends in their mid-60s – both of whom came out later in life. Dani is a transgender lesbian and Cheryl is pansexual. A few years ago, Cheryl says she nearly gave up on dating all together - but then she met Dani. They spoke about how a mix of love and laughter keeps them young.