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![Carol Snively, a queer woman and former President of The Center Project who came out in her 30s, stands on the building’s steps on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in front of The Center Project in Columbia. “Because she was so likeable, everyone loved Ellen [DeGeneres]. She was so funny, and so I think it did help family members, although it took me a while to tell every one of my family members. I was very nervous about [coming out] for very silly reasons that didn’t end up being a need to be fearful. They’re all very accepting. It just took me a long time. But yes, having people in the public eye that were out—because after she came out lots of other people started saying what their identities were,” Snively said. “And so the fact that there were celebrities who were starting to talk about things and normalize identities, I think that really helped for me. It didn’t change who I was, but it made it easier for me to verbalize who I was.”](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/f47162d/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1750x975+0+0/resize/280x156!/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2b%2Fbd%2F94ba4fa54eb5a2335f025df8de94%2F20241219-bas-queer-joy-carol-snively-0054.jpg)
Carol Snively is a queer woman in her 60s. She spoke about being politically active and advocating for LGBTQ+ Missourians’ rights during the early 2000s. -
Grey Riley has lived in Columbia for most of their life and are a polyamorous, genderqueer, disabled activist with a queer child. They spoke about how radical self-love is an important foundation for stronger communities. -
New federal court rulings are narrowing the Biden administration’s enforcement of a rule for protecting LGBTQ+ students from discrimination. -
Bulrush owner announced on Tuesday that he's closing the acclaimed Ozark cuisine restaurant due to attacks on the LGBTQ community. -
A House bill on banning classroom instruction related to gender identity and sexual orientation in Missouri had its first public hearing on Wednesday.
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Over the past two years, Tanzania's President John Magufuli has led what critics say is a broad assault on human rights, including freedom of… -
Regional stories from the KBIA newsroom, including:Missouri Chief Justice Calls for More Drug Courts Missouri Supreme Court to Hear 2 Cases on LGBT…
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The Missouri Supreme Court has agreed to hear two cases on LGBT rights.One case transferred Tuesday involves a transgender teen who wasn't allowed to use…
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Over the past year, authorities in the Russian republic of Chechnya have reportedly arrested dozens of gay men, in some cases imprisoning them for weeks… -
Homosexuality may not be illegal in China, but LGBT people in the world's most populous country often live their lives in the shadows.By one estimate, as…
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![Carol Snively, a queer woman and former President of The Center Project who came out in her 30s, stands on the building’s steps on Thursday, Dec. 19, 2024, in front of The Center Project in Columbia. “Because she was so likeable, everyone loved Ellen [DeGeneres]. She was so funny, and so I think it did help family members, although it took me a while to tell every one of my family members. I was very nervous about [coming out] for very silly reasons that didn’t end up being a need to be fearful. They’re all very accepting. It just took me a long time. But yes, having people in the public eye that were out—because after she came out lots of other people started saying what their identities were,” Snively said. “And so the fact that there were celebrities who were starting to talk about things and normalize identities, I think that really helped for me. It didn’t change who I was, but it made it easier for me to verbalize who I was.”](https://npr.brightspotcdn.com/dims4/default/69caa37/2147483647/strip/true/crop/1750x975+0+0/resize/560x312!/format/webp/quality/90/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fnpr-brightspot.s3.amazonaws.com%2F2b%2Fbd%2F94ba4fa54eb5a2335f025df8de94%2F20241219-bas-queer-joy-carol-snively-0054.jpg)
