LGBT Bible belt residents relieved after GOP ‘religious freedom’ bills take a beating

[unhappycamper]

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/03/01/lgbt-bible-belt-residents-relieved-after-gop-religious-freedom-bills-take-a-beating/



LGBT Bible belt residents relieved after GOP ‘religious freedom’ bills take a beating
By Rory Carroll, The Guardian
Saturday, March 1, 2014 15:33 EST

Blue Ridge, Georgia, a logging town in the state’s Appalachian foothills, used to give gay people two choices: hide or leave. This was God’s country. Baptist, Methodist, Pentecostal and Catholic churches speckled the landscape. Those who could not stay in the closet packed their bags and drove down a forested two-lane road to the relative anonymity and sanctuary of Atlanta, the state capital. Few returned.

Times have changed. A gay and lesbian influx has transformed this corner of the Bible belt. They have bought homes, opened businesses and filled leadership positions. “Gays have really changed and revived this community. We have brought jobs. Locals are happy that the city is thriving again,” said Jack Morton, who runs several businesses with his partner, Michael Brunson. “I was hesitant at first but not one time have I heard anyone make a negative comment or even insinuate. It’s been inclusive.”

In addition to managing a beauty salon and design store, Morton, who has won four Emmys for his make-up work, is chairman of the county chamber of commerce’s tourism committee, sits on the economic development authority and helps organise events, including a 4 July parade which features a marching band in drag – “It’s a riot”.

Other gay and lesbian entrepreneurs have helped turn Blue Ridge’s main street into a hub of gourmet restaurants and boutique stores popular with visitors, creating an island of prosperity in a region hit by the decline of logging and the closure of a Levi’s denim factory.

[Behind the Aegis]

1. Someone posted this in GD.

I had to laugh. My homophobic aunt lives there. For some reason, it just tickled me. It is a quaint little town.