Easter Egg Hunt and Potluck Extravaganza Hosted in Conger Park [Jackson, Tennessee, April 08] Almost eighty individuals gathered in Conger Park in Jackson on Saturday, April 8, to celebrate community, acceptance, and family at an egg hunt and potluck hosted by West Tennessee LGBTQ+ Support. More than 1000 candy-filled eggs, several baskets, and a $15 Dunkin’ Donuts gift card along with all the food and drinks were donated by parents and individuals of the group, Jackson Pride, West Tennessee Reconciling United Methodists, Madison Area Democratic Women, and Hub City Pride Runners. Children and adults of all ages gathered underneath the pavilion to mingle with the LGBTQ+ community in the area for a day of fun filled with egg hunts, face painting, prizes, and the Easter Bunny. Scott Murray, an organizer from West Tennessee Reconciling Methodists attended the event with his daughters Olivia, who dressed as the Easter Bunny, and Emma. “It’s a great opportunity to engage with everyone in our community and show everyone acceptance and affirmation where a lot of times marginalized folks in our community don’t get to have those opportunities,” Murray said. Families in attendance were grateful for the safe space offered by the event to make new connections in person that they would not make normally. Other individuals like Ember Nox attended the event because of the community involvement that is not seen often in the area. “I don’t really know many people in town, so the support group has been great,” Nox said. West Tennessee LGBTQ+ Support is an organization dedicated to educating, empowering and enlightening the LGBTQ+ community across West Tennessee with resources, aid and options.

Contrary to some public beliefs that have been circulating, transgender people have existed for as long as humanity has been coherent with self-identity. When settlers initially observed Native tribes, they noted that most nations recognized multiple genders and a prevalence of respect and a greater understanding of the nuances of self-identity (National Park Service, 2018) In the Torah, there are eight genders described in-depth with varying nuances for a variety of identities. (Kukula, 2006) Transgender people have been a part of sports for as long as they have existed, even if they have remained closeted. Saying transgender women do not belong in women’s sports is an argument rooted in misogyny and transphobia by linking strength and gender to sex. I will be discussing the history of transgender people in sports, issues with current systems, and some solutions that aim to bring unification of the issue. When Fallon Fox made her debut in 2013 as the first transgender athlete in MMA history, misinformation immediately overtook her career. One primary argument was that she broke her opponent’s skull when it was a broken orbital, which is a somewhat common injury in MMA. Fallon also lost to UFC Bantamweight fighter Ashlee Evans-Smith. Most transgender women are only spotlighted as a threat when they win, not when they lose. (Zeigler, 2021) Recently, Lia Thomas, a 22-year-old swimmer with the University of Pennsylvania has had a spotlight on her recent wins, with many individuals claiming it was unfair due to her size in comparison to her opponents. She is the first transgender athlete to win a Division I national championship, but many individuals forget that she has been on hormone replacement therapy since 2019 and has followed every guideline set in place. “I just want to show trans kids and younger athletes that they’re not alone. They don’t have to choose between who they are and the sport they love.” (Staff, 2022) Lia Thomas compared similarly with her predecessors in each event she has participated in, but advocates against her competing are continuing to spread misinformation about a highly complex subject they are vastly undereducated on. Currently, Thomas remains nine seconds behind Katie Ledecky’s time of four minutes and 24.06 seconds for the 500-yard freestyle. She beat Emma Weyant by just 1.75 seconds. For most sports analysts, this would hardly be considered a landslide victory by any means. (McCarriston, 2022) Segregating sports by gender has led to misogynistic exploitation of women for decades. WNBA players make a minute fraction of what their counterparts do. According to the Kennesaw State University’s comparison of player salaries, male players with the same. (Baker, 2020) Lingerie Football is one popularized way women have been able to professionally play football, but most college and NFL teams prohibit women from participating. Historically, women have attempted to popularize their own leagues of football, with modern players able to push research for better padding to prevent injury. (Legends Football League, 2021) Although there are no specific rules against women playing in the NFL, because of weight class issues, they are unable to qualify. However, this falls directly under the same line of reasoning that men are always more capable than women, which is a direct fallacy. Even in non-contact sports like racing, women must prove themselves significantly before making similar pay. Danica Patrick is the 8th highest-paid NASCAR driver and is arguably one of the most successful racers in the history of motorsports. Her size and stature have no determination on her ability to play, and NASCAR follows the individualized format that would benefit other sports if they adopted similar formatting. (Badenhausen, 2012) Segregating by gender also promotes harmful narratives about the gender spectrum by ignoring non-binary individuals. Across the country, many states have passed laws prohibiting transgender individuals from participating in sports as their identified gender. In Tennessee, K-12 public schools and sports have been the target of anti-transgender legislation specifically saying that transgender children must play on the side of their gender assigned at birth, or they may not play at all. HB3/SB 228 is a direct attack on transgender students that was passed in 2021. Specifically, the bill addresses transfeminine individuals due to sexist research that is misconstrued for their discrimination. (TrackBill, 2021) On the national level, 2021 had a record number of bills passed enacting anti-LGBTQ+ measures into law. However, a PBS/NPR/Marist poll states that 67% of Americans, including 66% of Republicans, oppose the new anti-transgender sports ban legislation across 30 states. (Ronan, 2021) Separating all individual sports by weight class would prevent sexism as well as othering from separating transgender individuals from their cisgender counterparts. Sports would be more adequately equipped to handle individuals of all body types with this form of classification. It would also include intersex and nonbinary individuals that have been excluded from the conversation. The myth that men are consistently stronger than women is rooted in incomplete studies and assumptions based on size alone most often. For instance, in a study from the National Library of Medicine comparing relative strength and power performances between male and female athletes, their results were based on comparing 16 men and 14 women. However, it is directly stated that the men had a body mass on average of 88.9 kg versus 58.1 kg for the women. That is a major difference that led to them correlating muscle thickness and lean body mass distribution to strength. (Bartolomei et al., 2021) However, a more thorough study published in 2018 by the Muscle, Ligaments, and Tendons journal suggests that any sex-related differences are reduced with training. (Mascherini et al., 2018) When comparing aspects like cardiovascular fitness, bone and ligament structures, strength, and endurance, individuals with similar sizes performed tests on similar standards. (Latham, 2018) Many people are worried about the testosterone levels of transgender athletes, but they are required to reach certain levels before they are allowed to play. This is also contradictory due to the existence of transgender men in men’s sports not having to reach certain estrogen requirements or being forced to participate on the women’s team while having the testosterone levels of a cisgender man. (Torres, 2022) Transgender women will prey on cisgender women is a highly emotional argument stemming directly from the fear of predatory cisgender men that aim to abuse women. At this time, transgender athletes are required to follow a strict set of standards regarding hormone replacement therapy, how and when they can play, and more according to the NCAA. First, the student must fill out a Transgender Student-Athlete Eligibility Reporting Form. Next, the must-have is a Medical Professional Hormone Suppression Confirmation Form. They also need a Serum Testosterone Level Lab completed no more than four weeks before the election date of their sport. Finally, students must send all documentation to their school and fax everything to the NCAA for approval. (NCAA, 2022) Overall, it is discriminatory to exclude transgender individuals from participating in their preferred field. Without intersectionality, we will lack the ability to move forward toward instilling equity in our society. By removing gender stereotypes from sports and replacing them with specific weight and height classes, these issues can be dissolved over time. References Badenhausen, K. (2012, February 22). Nascar's Highest-Paid Drivers. Forbes. https://www.forbes.com/.../nascars-highest-paid-drivers/... Baker, E. (2020). A comparison of NBA and WNBA player salaries. Coles College of Business. https://coles.kennesaw.edu/econopp/docs/Baker-Elle.pdf Bartolomei, S., Grillone, G., Michele, R., & Cortesi, M. (2021, February 9). A Comparison between Male and Female Athletes in Relative Strength and Power Performances. PubMed. Falk, L. (2015, November 9). The 8 genders of the Talmud. Jewish Telegraphic Agency. https://www.jta.org/jewn.../2015/the-6-genders-of-the-talmud Kukula, E. (2006). Terms for Gender Diversity in Classical Jewish Texts. TransTorah. https://www.transtorah.org/.../Classical_Jewish_Terms_for... Latham, A. (2018, June 28). Physiological differences between male and female athletes. Work - Chron.com. https://work.chron.com/physiological-differences-between... Legends Football League. (2021, October 25). Legends Football League. Retrieved March 20, 2022, from https://www.lflus.com/ Mascherini, G., Castizo-Olier, J., Irurtia, A., Petri, C., & Galanti, G. (2018, April 16). Differences between the sexes in athletes’ body composition and lower limb bioimpedance values. PubMed Central (PMC). https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5908334/ McCarriston, S. (2022, March 18). LIA Thomas, Penn swimmer, becomes first known transgender athlete to win division I national title. CBSSports.com. https://www.cbssports.com/.../lia-thomas-penn-swimmer.../ National Park Service. (2018, February 20). Gender and Sexuality in Native America. https://www.nps.gov/.../gender-and-sexuality-in-native... NCAA. (2022, January 28). Transgender student-athlete eligibility review procedures. https://www.ncaa.org/.../transgender-student-athlete... Ronan, W. (2021, May 7). 2021 officially becomes worst year in recent history for LGBTQ state legislative attacks as unprecedented number of states enact record-shattering number of Anti-LGBTQ measures into law. HRC. https://www.hrc.org/.../2021-officially-becomes-worst... Sanchez, R. (2022, March 3). Lia Thomas Interview: The story of the Penn swimmer at the heart of the transgender athlete debate. Sports Illustrated. https://www.si.com/.../lia-thomas-penn-swimmer... Staff, S. (2022, March 20). Lia Thomas: Penn swimmer closes out NCAA career. Sports Illustrated. https://www.si.com/.../lia-thomas-finishes-eighth-100... Torres, M. (2022, March 19). Students collide on trans-athlete’s competition. Technique. https://nique.net/.../students-collide-on-trans-athletes.../ TrackBill. (2021, April 6). Tennessee HB3. Legislative Tracking Software | TrackBill. Retrieved March 20, 2022, from https://trackbill.com/.../tennessee-house-bill-3.../1952530/ Zeigler, C. (2021, February 22). 4 myths and lies being told about trans MMA fighter Fallon Fox. Outsports. https://www.outsports.com/.../fallon-fox-trans-mma...

Baker Bros BBQ Brings the Heat to Jackson [Jackson, Tennessee, April 14] On a calm afternoon before the dinner rush began, Drew Baker and his team worked to prep, smoke, and cook dishes that they are quickly becoming known for at Baker Bros BBQ, a fun eatery with plenty of menu options as well as a bright atmosphere filled with music and pinball. When their journey began in 2018 to create their own restaurant that goes beyond just good food, Drew Baker was unsure of where their vision would lead. “I’m immensely proud of what we have been able to accomplish here,” Baker said. Now, they are recognized for their brisket recipe as well as the Alfred, which is half a pound of hamburger, brisket, bacon, cheese, pulled pork, slaw, and barbeque sauce all loaded onto a hearty bun. They also feature locally crafted beers from Hub City Brewing, which is a customer favorite. Brianna Cross, a server, describes the use of brisket in several dishes and recommends trying the hooch sauce to customers. “If you don’t come to Baker Bros BBQ enough, you definitely should start coming more,” Cross said. Beyond the food, customers can play on multiple affordable pinball machines located in the back of the restaurant. Each Wednesday evening, they also have the opportunity to participate in Open Mic Night or customers can enjoy live music from various local artists on different nights throughout the week, such as acoustic duo Maggie Nash and Shane Bastable on April 14. They performed various hits from artists like Fleetwood Mac and Paramore. “If we’re consistent in service, food quality, entertainment, and how we maintain the restaurant, people are going to come,” Baker said.

Protestors Gather at Ray Condray Mayoral Announcement [Jackson, Tennessee, Feb 04] Because of recent legislation being introduced in the Tennessee General Assembly, protestors gathered in support of the LGBTQ+ community at Ray Condray’s announcement of his campaign for mayor at Jackson City Hall. His campaign directly stated his conservative Christian values align with Rep. Chris Todd (R-TN) and his involvement in anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, such as SB1/HB1 and SB3/HB8, both bills relating to banning gender-affirming care for minors and drag performances. More than a dozen protestors organized the night before the event to make signs, share posts, and spread the word. Many of them believe that the wording is extreme and can potentially lead to the persecution of transgender individuals and beyond in their home state. Debbie Swacker, a 66-year-old retired business owner and current President of the Madison Area Democratic Women, attempted to question Rep. Todd, but was met with significant resistance and silence. “It’s very unfortunate to be represented in Nashville by a man who refuses to engage in a conversation with his constituents about legislation he has sponsored. Representative Todd is clearly more concerned about being a foot soldier for Governor Lee’s agenda targeting marginalized communities rather than addressing the needs of the people he was elected to represent. Our community has real quality of life problems which Todd chooses to ignore, focusing instead on advancing legislation that will in fact be harmful,” Swacker said. Another attendee, Genevieve Stoop, 28, cofounder of West Tennessee LGBTQ+ Support, wants to advocate for equity and equality as much as possible. “Acceptance for everyone is what we fight for, even for those whose beliefs don’t match ours, if someone is not being harmed, whether it be emotional or physical. West Tennessee LGBTQ+ Support is here to fight for everyone and basic human decency, which is just the bare minimum to start,” Stoop said. West Tennessee LGBTQ+ Support is an organization dedicated to educating, empowering and enlightening the LGBTQ+ community across West Tennessee with resources, aid and options.

Kal Reasons December 1, 2023 During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, Quick Service Restaurants (QSR) faced unprecedented challenges to adapt to continuing business. Employees were hailed as “essential workers,” while corporate profits ran to an all-time high in a few instances. Some corporations successfully managed their brands throughout this time by maintaining consumer loyalty with consistent service, utilizing collaborations to create new brand referents, and analyzing the long-term brand power after such a devastating event. QSRs were classified as essential during the pandemic, but to continue operating in many areas, they were forced to reposition their brands to be more hygienic and focused on safety. Formal, sit-in dining was relatively impossible for most people, so utilizing drive-thru sales, implementing effective curbside pickup and delivery options, and refining company policies to increase worker and consumer safety along with modifying menu offerings all were methods attempted to maintain their current brand power and increase equity as a result. This is somewhat off topic, but I when worked at McDonald’s one joke that was ALWAYS made: “People gotta eat.” This is the bottom-line value of QSR for consumers. People will always have to eat, and there will always be a market for affordable food that is made quickly with quality. The implementation of these plans down the line was arguably flawed since many restaurants repeatedly violated the standards set by corporations and officials, which violated trust. However, the statistics show there were consistent sales once things leveled out. Partnerships and different collaborations also were tactics used heavily. Healthcare workers and first responders saw an incredible amount of support because it was beneficial for maintaining a positive brand image. QSR offered a lot of discounts to these individuals, and they continued to implement these strategies through various social media campaigns and mobile app developments. Delivery services like DoorDash and UberEats quickly aligned themselves with QSR, and it led to a sharp increase in brand power for everyone involved. Different individual testimonials provided a stark look into daily life for the average person during this time and were incredibly popular, but this ended up being yet another trend. Looking at the numbers, it’s important to see how the reach of individual brands coupled with engagement with campaigns influenced sales. QSR that adapted to new technologies and methods found a much better response on average than brands that were slow in their response. Using brand research tools such as the Likert scale can help tell researchers how likely consumers are to advocate and the equitable valuations for these companies because of their tactics. Quick Service Restaurants have a stronghold on consumers within the food industry. The survival of individual brands depends greatly on how they position themselves in the market during times of crisis. New technologies, responsive advertising campaigns, and proper analysis of these efforts are just a few ways brands create value and differentiate themselves from competitors. Sources: The QSR 50: The Fast-Food Industry's Leading Annual Report | QSR magazine Long-Term Trends Emerge from COVID-19 Impact on Quick-Service Restaurants, Retail - Woolpert Marketing basics from Taco Bell's incoming CEO and more takeaways from CREATE: The Experience (restaurantbusinessonline.com)

Kal Reasons November 24, 2023 We often analyze modern advertising trends to see how we can better develop strategic branding campaigns. Today, let’s look at a few older Tide ads to see how they have changed in comparison to ads from today. 1. Early Ads 1950s-1960s Instance A: Early ads marketed Tide as giving the “Cleanest clothes in town with a new washday miracle!” We can see an early form of the Tide logo that is designed to stand out in black and white. There was a catchy jingle about Tide presenting The Red Skelton Show throughout the early years of the show before each introduction. Throughout many episodes, there would be product placements throughout several different skits. Instance B: This 1960 ad shows a moving man spilling chocolate on his client’s curtains. She rushes to put them in the wash, educating the man on the power of Tide, and then ends the commercial with the curtains clean and put where they belong. 2. 1970’s This commercial from the early 70s features the same style of brand positioning Tide had previously, focusing on advertising to mothers in need of a reliable detergent. By focusing on tough stains made by kids, they interject relatability into their strategy. 3. 1980s In the 1980s, Tide repositioned themselves very little, deciding to stay with their already successful target market: mothers and housewives. 4. 1990s With Ultra Tide being released in 1991, one commercial reflected on how it sounds too good to be true. This ad is much more reminiscent of current marketing trends, and it feels frozen in time. 5. Modern Tide Ads (2023) Today, Tide has greatly diversified their advertising portfolio to be much more inclusive of all family types while still focusing on the overall efficiency of their offerings. A collaboration with MythBusters through their “Turn to Cold,” campaign shows that Tide cleans in cold water better than their leading competitors. What kind of laundry detergent do you use? Do you think that advertising tactics by different brands influence which detergent you buy?

Author's Note: This article that was ran on the Facebook page of The Jackson Post is a response to a "Dooley Noted" column article. The owner, Daniel Richardson, refused to allow it to be published online or in-print because the paper is right-leaning, so I am posting it here. He also refused to run my Pride Month in Jackson piece. “Dooley Noted” is a weekly opinion column in The Jackson Post that Adam Dooley, pastor of Englewood Baptist Church, uses to frequently cast judgement against minority groups. His most recent post entitled “The Cringe Factor,” spun a tale of Christian persecution that blames pro-choice individuals and the LGBTQ+ community while simultaneously complaining about woke lies and cancel culture impacting his religion. Sanctimonious viewpoints litter each sermon he preaches and each article he writes while blasphemously judging his neighbors, and this is my response. It is not the first time this rhetoric has been used against the LGBTQ+ community, nor will it be the last. However, calling the TRUTH to attention is necessary and crucial to prove that he is a bigot more than he is a religious leader. Starting off, let’s address the claim that gender is a biological reality rather than a social construct. Since as early as 5000 B.C.E., transgender people have existed. The Talmud describes six different genders and respects these differences. Native cultures frequently revere two-spirit individuals and acknowledged the gender spectrum before colonization ever occurred. Even Pope Francis has said that transgender people can become baptized Catholics. In Biology, it is known that gender and sex assigned at birth are different, complex things. One is based on identity and the other focuses on physiology, at its most basic definition. Instead of targeting minority groups and individuals seeking bodily autonomy, Dooley should be looking inside his own religion for actual problems. Since February, I have been working on a case that has yet to see any indictments because of the lack of REAL grooming laws in Tennessee. For instance, there have been over two DOZEN convicted predators that have served in Tennessee as pastors, preachers, and youth leaders. Joshua Henley, Matthew Brewer, David Lynn Richards Jr., Al Behm, William C. Casey, Ronald W. Dickman, Bill Early, James F.X. Pratt, Joseph L. Reilly, Franklin T. Richards, James B. “Jim” Stanford, Ronnie Gorton, Jason Evan Kennedy, Larry J. Rayford Jr., William E. “Tim” Smith Jr., and many, many others have been religious leaders that used their power and position to hurt children in ways ranging from grooming to human trafficking. Andy Savage confessed to a 1998 “sexual incident” with a 17-year-old teenager in front of his congregation and got a standing ovation. These issues are never spotlighted by these churches because it shows an imbalance of power and the ability to hide these crimes by threatening their victims in various ways. I survived being molested, groomed, raped, and assaulted as a child and teenager, yet I have men like Dooley try to flip the script because I’m openly queer. Not a SINGLE drag queen in the state of Tennessee has been convicted of any crimes of this nature. If Christianity is so attacked, then why is it the minority groups of our home state are the ones being targeted by harmful legislation? Gov. Bill Lee, Marsha Blackburn, and almost every major political leader is a Christian that has worked to eliminate the separation of church and state. Instead of creating laws that help survivors, they have created barriers that harm them. This is a moment, Dooley, where you should realize the call is coming from inside the house. It is not the LGBTQ+ community: it is the men with power like yours committing these atrocities. On average, one in five children will be assaulted before they turn 18. This means in a room of 30 children, six of them are likely to have been assaulted. Another claim Dooley has made is that the Bible is perfect. I suppose as a privileged individual, it can be easy to overlook the legitimate flaws that are horrific. There are verses that permit slavery, rape, child marriage, and more. Deuteronomy 22:28-29 calls for a rapist to MARRY his victim. Some verses about slavery include 1 Peter 2:16, 1 Timothy 6:1, Colossians 3:22, Ephesians 6:5, Exodus 21:7, and more. These verses command slaves to obey their masters. There are more than 3000 versions of the Bible in over 2000 languages. If a person claims that only their denomination is the correct one, then they are truly delusional. Individuals following direct Hebrew translations, which is the closest to accurate, have stated that verses regarding homosexuality decry pedophilia instead. The first appearance of homosexuality was in 1946 when it appeared in the Revised Standard Version as a mistranslation of 1 Corinthians 6:9 of malakoi and arsenokoitai and used for over a decade to spread harmful misinformation and propaganda. In the end, it is impossible to reason with individuals that only have one frame of reference for their viewpoints. They will never change. However, the truth will always be the truth, whether Dooley notes that or not. Further Reading: My quest to find the word 'homosexual' in the Bible – Baptist News Global SBC releases list of known abusers in TN within organization (wsmv.com) TN Youth Pastor Gets Six Years On Child Sex Charges - Joe.My.God. (joemygod.com) Male-to-female transsexuals have female neuron numbers in a limbic nucleus - PubMed (nih.gov) Biological sex classification with structural MRI data shows increased misclassification in transgender women | Neuropsychopharmacology (nature.com) Gender-Inclusive Biology: A framework in action | NSTA

Kal Reasons November 13, 2023 Pepsi’s celebration of their 125th anniversary has led to the remastering of Britney Spears’ “Joy of Cola” ad that originally aired in 2001. Because of this, we’re revisiting a few of her most iconic ads. With the “Free Britney” movement calling attention to issues surrounding her conservatorship that began in early 2008, her ad career has telling moments of the hypersexualization she has faced that can be used to analyze her situation further. Let’s dive in! “The Joy of Cola” 2001: This ad featured Britney’s iconic music and dancing blended with a good bit of humor. Throughout the entire commercial, however, Britney is seen in very provocative attire because her brand as a pop superstar brought a level of desirability to Pepsi they wanted. At only 19, a multi-million-dollar deal with Pepsi had helped place her in superstardom. “We Will Rock You” 2004: Set in a Roman colosseum, this collaboration with P!nk and Beyonce featured the trio dressed as gladiator warriors. This ad is one of her more powerful ones because it is a critique on women being made to fight other women within the industry and defying that standard. It was also one of her final appearances as a Pepsi spokesperson. “VMA Promos” 2008: The 2008 MTV VMA’s ad campaign with Russell Brand was questionable. They are in a sound room with a huge CGI elephant representing her mental health, which was a direct PR ploy. To me, Spears looks super uncomfortable during every rendition because he makes highly inappropriate jokes. This is critical because this is after she was put in the conservatorship, February 1, 2008. Her father had complete control of every aspect of her career at this time. (It’s worth noting that Russell Brand has since spoken out in support of the Free Britney Movement while recalling on these promo shoots in 2022, saying she doesn’t “own” herself.) The commodification of Britney Spears has helped and harmed her significantly. By analyzing the ads she has been in, we can see her intimate moments played worldwide. Her fame is a lesson for how we can use public relations to protect others from dealing with similar situations and prompt reforms to industry standards. Finding the balance between empowerment and hypersexualization is crucial for corporations to eliminate these issues for good. How do you think conservatorships can be predatory?

By Kal Reasons Author's Note: This article was published in the printed and digital editions of The Milan Mirror Exchange in November 2023. Veteran’s Day is right around the corner, and local individuals of all ages are ready for the patriotic celebrations to commence in Milan by reflecting on their experiences during their military service. Ex-Marine Carlos Dunn, 97, served around three and a half years in the late 1940s just after World War II. He was stationed overseas twice and in China for a short time. Although he never saw active combat, he was ready for anything. Now, he does not do much to participate. “It’s not a big deal. We don’t really celebrate it. They have celebrations, but guys like me usually don’t get in on them,” Dunn said. Sgt. James Robert Watson, 76, was with the Air Force from April 1966 through Nov. 1970. During his five years in the service, he traveled around Texas, Colorado, England, and North Carolina. Before serving, he attended Memphis State University and studied computer science, which impacted his placement in the ranks. Although he is missing the photos from his time enlisted, he has a special blanket that is on display with his information, and he shared his most important lesson. “Listen. Listen to the advice of others,” Watson said. Beginning in March 2008, Justin McKee, 35, served in the Marines. A hardworking, family-focused man, McKee has been in recovery for several months after a stroke in July left him unable to work. As a veteran suffering from injuries sustained during two tours of Afghanistan more than a decade ago, he can see the importance of long-term support outside of holidays. “I believe that everyone should support the military all year. The little things really help like talking with them or having someone there for them. 22 veterans a day are lost to suicide, so it’s hard for the veteran community to keep their heads up without being heard,” Mckee said. Many veterans face severe mental health issues that can lead to addiction, homelessness, and even suicide due to elevated levels of PTSD and a lack of support. “There are a lot of resources available during and after service. People don’t discuss help or long-term plans, normally. You don’t get the option of understanding a lot of it when you get out,” Mckee said. There are many ways civilians can show support to local troops, including volunteering with or donating to local organizations that are dedicated to essential services as well as advocating for veteran support on various topics. Photo 1: Headshot of Watson Photo 2: Carlos Dunn with his son Bobby Dunn, his wife Chris Dunn, and grandson Photo 3: Justin Mckee during active service

Kal Reasons August 23, 2023 Intersectionality is a term that many individuals lack awareness of, but when focusing on local activism, it is an integral part of making legitimate change in communities fighting staunch conservative values and religious extremism. Coined by renowned Civil Rights activist and law professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, the term is being used to help people understand the layers of discrimination individuals face based on socioeconomic and cultural values, race, religion, etc., and how they meet when advocating for human rights. This can be applied to citizens’ daily lives in Madison County. It’s difficult to summarize the many issues politically, socially, and economically that we face as a community without acknowledging the impact of intersectionality and history on the matter. We’ve seen police brutality and failures within our criminal justice system. Recently, we’ve seen underperforming and underfunded public schools being threatened by charter programs that will divert funds from impoverished children to families that can afford to send their children to private institutions. Failing healthcare systems overflowing with burned-out staff and a lack of enough resources to adequately provide for all patients are burdening everyone in the area. There’s been a marked increase and rise in violence and discrimination against POC and the LGBTQ+ communities alike. Numerous hate groups like We the People of West Tennessee, Moms for Liberty, Americans for Prosperity, BRAVE Books, and more are blatantly violating the separation of church and state within our community and using taxpayer dollars to fund conservative values in our schools. We have organizations like WRAP, Tennessee Homeless Solutions, West Tennessee Legal Services, and more always packed to the brim with individuals desperate to get assistance for domestic violence issues, homelessness, and discrimination. We avoided Ray Condray, but politicians like AJ Massey, Chris Todd, Ed Jackson, and others locally to Bill Lee, Marsha Blackburn, and more heavy hitters statewide are aiming to put their white supremacist agenda on a pedestal within their offices. Everywhere I turn in Jackson, I can see the good and the bad. I see our history and how we have always been a divided state that has slowly turned to extremist values. We need leaders who continuously stand up for every single disenfranchised individual in our community. We need leaders who are loudly anti-racist, anti-fascist allies who take charge in making the changes we need to see. By working together to see how discrimination ties into poverty and corruption into extremist legislation, we can be the ones to unite against the dangerous state of Madison County we are currently in before it is too late. There are 68,205 Jacksonians out of the 98,823 people that are a part of the Madison County Population, according to the 2020 Census. Jackson represents 69% of Madison County’s population, meaning about 7 out of 10 people living in Madison County live in Jackson. This doesn’t account for the other thousands of workers that commute from the 7 surrounding counties into the Hub City Area. It is important to address any instances of police brutality in Madison County, both historic and modern. During the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests, Governor Lee sided against protestors fighting for the reformation of local, state, and federal justice systems along with the defunding of police departments into other social safety net systems such as childcare, rehabilitation facilities, healthcare programs, family assistance programs, and more. A recent traffic stop in Madison County led to a Black man having shards of glass thrown in his eye after the officers escalated the situation, and the Madison County Sheriff’s Department has been investigated multiple times by the TBI. According to Police Scorecard, 70% of people arrested by the Jackson Police Department are Black, while only 45% of the population is Black. This is an obvious disparagement in arrest rates that the Black Lives Matter movement has been trying to bring attention to, and it is on par with national standards. Jackson also has an incredibly high rate of gun violence and crime overall, with it being in the bottom 6% of safest cities in the United States. Unions have been a hot-button topic, with Governor Lee’s recent “Tennessee Paycheck Protection Act,” which prevents school districts from collecting union dues. This basically means that the well-founded teachers’ union will now have to have its members pay individually rather than automatically. This form of union busting is being disguised as a massive pay raise when more funds should have been diverted to our teachers rather than just giving them the bump that they should have received during the COVID pandemic. Gov. Lee thinks that $50,000 is a boastful wage for teachers when the Median Household Income in Tennessee is just under $60,000. In Madison County, representatives largely support Lee’s tactics. Even though Republicans have been in control of local education for years, Madison County ranks 94 in Family and Community with one of the bottom five scores in the state for 3rd to 8th-grade literacy and high school graduation rates. Charter schools in 2010 had less than 5,000 students and as of 2019, there were over 40,000 students. Gov. Lee is attempting to push the privatization of education while eliminating CRT and social justice concepts. As a result of increasing gun violence in our state that puts our students at risk, a special session proposing new Red Flag laws has been vehemently fought by local political leaders and failed candidates. For Trey Cleek, a failed Trustee candidate, he decided that his love of shooting AR-15s was more important than the safety and security of Tennessee’s children. At a recent tour stop by the Our Kids Deserve Better campaign, he called a local father an idiot because he wants the right to carry an AR-15 and use it as he pleases. He currently is the director for West Tennessee’s Americans for Prosperity group, like the We the People of West Tennessee hate group that was founded by Ray Condray and Londa Rohlfing in 2020. Both groups aim to influence all of Madison County’s political positions. Representatives Chris Todd and Ed Jackson have specifically targeted the LGBTQ+ community for many years now, recently becoming empowered by the Trump Administration’s dehumanizing campaigns to eliminate protections for queer citizens. Add in a plethora of extremist rhetoric and then we get the current atmosphere, where every single LGBTQ+ event receives hate and threats, with some having to be changed or canceled entirely. The gender-affirming care ban specifically affects many different children in Madison County and Tennessee overall, while the drag ban has already caused a significant impact on individuals within the community, leading to legal issues and impactful signs of protests. These dehumanization efforts lead to countless intersectional issues from housing to healthcare to general well-being overall for many citizens in our area. In schools, some teachers and administrators are enabling bullying and even are participating in harming openly queer students with little to no retribution. National trans activists have called against these atrocities, but SB1 and SB3 are still in place today, along with over two dozen other bills restricting citizens’ rights to free speech. Personally, I have been called a groomer/predator numerous times over the last year or so. This sort of rhetoric, especially when it is directed at SA, rape, and CSAM survivors that are thriving within the LGBTQ+ community is particularly dangerous as it minimizes the struggles of survivors of traff1cking and sexual violence. It also feels like it is a projection of Republican conservatives who do not want to go against massive churches that allow predators to have continued access to children. Some Republicans have fought to lower and eliminate the age of consent, and there are still child marriages seen across the state each year. All of the issues are crossing in one way or another. (See National Grooming Research Links and Pastor offender List) Let’s take some time to discuss some of Madison County’s and Jackson’s history because understanding our past is a crucial aspect of this intersectional battle. We can learn from the past to see where we need to go in the future. Using voting records from presidential elections from over 100 years ago to the present day, we can see clearly that Madison County has often been split politically, with Democrats often controlling the vote from 1912-1960, and during this decade we see the swap to more conservative values with the Republican party, with the 1976 election of Democratic President Jimmy Carter narrowly being the only exception. Before this time, records were less clear on percentages. Our home is named after President Andrew Jackson, who is famously known for creating the Trail of Tears that forced millions of Native Americans from their homes and land onto reservations through the Indian Removal Act in May 1830. This brutal atrocity was an act of g3n0c1d3 committed by our own local government less than 200 years ago, and it forced Chickasaw peoples from their sovereign nations. They had agreed to let colonists settle in an 1818 treaty for 300,000 dollars, but it was not enough for our historic leaders. Madison County was founded just three years later in 1821. (Pg 78 Tennesseans and Their History) As an agricultural community, industrialization in place of slave labor was an unwanted change for a vast majority of the political players, and as a result, Madison County was fighting on the side of the Confederacy before Tennessee’s Succession. The Battle of Shiloh was a major military battle that placed Madison County along with the rest of West and Middle Tennessee back in Union hands towards the end of the Civil War. However, there was an incredible amount of tension, famine, and other wartime problems as a result until the end of the war and the reconstruction era in 1865, even after we were the first state to return to the Union. Many of the beginning railways had been destroyed by explosives, which only harmed the slow recovery period. Only two years later, Black men were granted enfranchisement, sparking the beginnings of the suffragist and Civil Rights movements in the early 20th century. The Memphis Riots on May 1-2, 1866, were one of the most destructive riots in history, where white men raided the Black communities killing dozens, raping multiple women, and burning over 100 buildings to the ground. We saw the founding and the mobilization of the Ku Klux Klan in December of 1865, just six months earlier, and these events are correlated because of post-war efforts to fight unionists by Confederate sympathizers. Over the next several years, Governor Brownlow fought back and eventually had to employ the State Guard and martial law in nine counties, which included neighboring counties. Brownlow had hired a Cincinnati Detective who was murdered by the KKK after he attempted to infiltrate one of their meetings with the Grand Wizard. His resignation a month later led to the empowerment of Conservatives and the downfall of the Radicals that held power for years previously. All the ex-confederates that had been banned from voting were enfranchised again after a Tennessee Supreme Court decision ruled it unconstitutional. During the 1869 elections, DeWitt Senter, who took over office for Brownlow, supported this enfranchisement, and this period saw a massive swap of political parties in a landslide favor of conservatives. By August 1870, all Tennessee Supreme Court justices were Conservatives. Historically, Conservatives have always gutted our healthcare and education systems in favor of private lobbyists. They immediately repealed the Ku Klux Klan Act and State Guard Act, eliminated the statewide school system in favor of leaving it up to the counties, and reinstated segregation law while also eliminating protections for the right of laborers. (Tennesseans and Their History pgs. 174-178) Decades later, we saw the development of The New South, with protests for worker rights and against low wages in extreme ways. In this era from the late 1880s through the 1930s, we began to see the foundation of corporate America because of railroad lobbyists aiming to control the massive profits to be had. Women began fighting for suffrage, and Black communities across the state experienced absurd amounts of racial discrimination and hardships because of our political environment. Railroad companies like L&N invested extreme amounts of money into local newspapers and bribed Conservative political leaders to overlook regulations. All of this occurred across the state, including in Madison County. This is a lot of information to take into account in one essay, so it is important for everyone to continue studying history and the facts it gives us in order to tackle modern problems within our democracy with a wise, educated perspective relying on facts and logic. This is not going to be a battle that is won with a singular election. It will take years of systemic, mindful reforms in order to grow from our troubled records. Intersectionality is the key principle to abide by when understanding where our priorities should be focused and how our energy should be spent. Sources: • Intersectionality: o Ted Talk: The urgency of intersectionality | Kimberlé Crenshaw - YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=akOe5-UsQ2o • Recommended Books: o Tennesseans and Their History Paul Bergeron • Statistics: o Jackson, Tennessee - Ballotpedia https://ballotpedia.org/Jackson,_Tennessee o Tennessee State Household Income | Department of Numbers (deptofnumbers.com) https://www.deptofnumbers.com/income/tennessee/ o Madison County.pdf (tn.gov) https://www.tn.gov/.../tccy/documents/2022-profiles/Madison County.pdf o U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts: Jackson city, Tennessee https://www.census.gov/.../jacksoncitytennessee/PST045222 o Jackson, TN Crime Rates and Statistics - NeighborhoodScout https://www.neighborhoodscout.com/tn/jackson/crime • History: o Jackson History - City of Jackson, TN (jacksontn.gov) https://www.jacksontn.gov/.../about_jackson/jackson_history o Madison County, Tennessee - Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Madison_County,_Tennessee o History | Madison County, TN - Official Website (madisoncountytn.gov) https://madisoncountytn.gov/315/History • Police Brutality Evidence/Racial Justice Movements: o TBI investigating shooting involving sheriff’s deputies in Madison County (actionnews5.com)- 04/06/2022 https://www.actionnews5.com/.../tbi-investigating.../ o Madison County Sheriff's Office responds to recent traffic stop footage - WBBJ TV 07/2023 https://www.wbbjtv.com/.../madison-county-sheriffs.../ o Tennessee gov signs bill upping penalties on some protests | AP News https://apnews.com/.../virus-outbreak-race-and-ethnicity... o Police Scorecard: Jackson, TN https://policescorecard.org/tn/police-department/jackson • Education/Gun Violence: o VIDEO: Gov. Lee Signs Historic Bill to Raise Teacher Pay, Protect Taxpayer Dollars (tn.gov) https://www.tn.gov/.../video--gov--lee-signs-historic... o Gun violence bus tour makes a stop in Jackson - WBBJ TV https://www.wbbjtv.com/.../gun-violence-bus-tour-makes-a.../ o Community members unite to fight against gun violence - WBBJ TV https://www.wbbjtv.com/.../community-members-unite-to.../ o West Tennessee officials join forces to combat gun violence in Jackson (jacksonsun.com) https://www.jacksonsun.com/.../jackson-tn.../10074752002/ o Annual Charter Report for SY 2018-19 (tn.gov) https://www.tn.gov/.../Annual_Charter_Report_for_SY_2018... o Private school voucher and charter-friendly bills sail through Tennessee Senate - reimaginED (reimaginedonline.org) https://www.reimaginedonline.org/.../private-school.../ • LGBTQ+: o Fact Sheet on Injustice in the LGBTQ community | National Sexual Violence Resource Center (NSVRC) https://www.nsvrc.org/.../fact-sheet-injustice-lgbtq... o BREAKING: Tennessee Senate Passes Bill to Codify Discrimination Against LGBTQ+ People Into Law - Human Rights Campaign (hrc.org) https://www.hrc.org/.../breaking-tennessee-senate-passes... o June Anti-Trans Legislative Risk Map - by Erin Reed (erininthemorning.com) https://www.erininthemorning.com/.../june-anti-trans... o State rep, performer discuss controversy of Jackson Pride drag show - WBBJ TV https://www.wbbjtv.com/.../state-rep-performer-discuss.../ o Movement Advancement Project | State Profiles (lgbtmap.org) https://www.lgbtmap.org/equality_maps/profile_state/TN o New data on LGBTQ Tennesseans should be a wake up call to lawmakers | Opinion (yahoo.com) https://news.yahoo.com/data-lgbtq-tennesseans-wake-call... o Conservation board accepts director resignation; decides on park rental - The Jackson Post https://jacksonpost.news/conservation-board-director.../... o HB0003.pdf (tn.gov) https://www.capitol.tn.gov/Bills/112/Fiscal/HB0003.pdf o Tennessee | American Civil Liberties Union (aclu.org) https://www.aclu.org/affiliate/tennessee National Grooming Research Links https://www.tandfonline.com/.../10.../01639625.2016.1197656 o Child Grooming Law and Legal Definition | USLegal, Inc. Child Grooming Law and Legal Definition | USLegal, Inc. https://definitions.uslegal.com/c/child-grooming/ o Fast Facts: Preventing Child Sexual Abuse |Violence Prevention|Injury Center|CDC https://www.cdc.gov/violenc.../childsexualabuse/fastfact.htm o Child Sexual Abuse Statistics – The National Center for Victims of Crime https://victimsofcrime.org/child-sexual-abuse-statistics/ o Penal Code § 647.6 PC - Annoying / Molesting a Child Under 18 (shouselaw.com) https://www.shouselaw.com/ca/defense/penal-code/647-6/ o What is ‘grooming’? Why misusing the term could help sexual predators and hurt victims (today.com) https://www.today.com/.../grooming-child-sex-abuse-rcna24564 o Draft Bill Template (vermont.gov) https://legislature.vermont.gov/.../Docs/BILLS/H-0659/H-0659 As Introduced.pdf o Chapter 9.68A RCW: SEXUAL EXPLOITATION OF CHILDREN (wa.gov) https://app.leg.wa.gov/rcw/default.aspx?cite=9.68A o RCW 9.68A.090: Communication with minor for immoral purposes—Penalties. (wa.gov) https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=9.68A.090 o Oregon Department of Education : Sexual Misconduct Reporting and Investigation : Health, Safety & Wellness : State of Oregon https://www.oregon.gov/.../Sexual-Misconduct-Reporting... o Tennessee Republicans push to abolish age limit on heterosexual marriages amidst "groomer" outrage | Salon.com https://www.salon.com/.../tennessee-push-to-abolish-age.../ o Tennessee General Assembly Legislation (tn.gov) https://wapp.capitol.tn.gov/apps/BillInfo/Default.aspx... o Sexual Assault and Related Offenses | American Law Institute (ali.org) https://www.ali.org/.../sexual-assault-and-related-offenses/

Author's Note: This article was initially published on Newstalk 96.5 in response to problematic articles posted by a local newspaper and general hatred on June 14, 2023. Pride Month in Jackson, TN As a queer individual raised in the Hub City area, I have had my fair share of confrontations. Tennessee has always been home, but for me, the famed southern hospitality is nothing more than false niceties to hide whispered judgements. Jackson wants to pride itself on being a good city filled with nice, loving people, but when it comes time for people to celebrate empowerment, self-enlightenment, and education, it becomes a pit of hatred and bigotry fueled by misplaced religious extremism and fascism. Professor Kimberlé Crenshaw, co-founder of the African American Policy Forum, developed the concept of intersectionality back in 1989, which is meant to help describe how power connects and collides. This is a complicated concept that tends to upset individuals with power because it holds a mirror directly up to their faces to analyze how certain factors like gender, race, sexuality, financial background, etc. give them leverage over the considered minorities. Every day, this is evident in our beloved city more and more. The current Jackson election is a debacle with a bankrupted used-car salesman blatantly speaking hatred against the LGBTQ+ community multiple times who also co-founded the hate group We the People of West Tennessee long before his announcement. These issues all intersect and are built off hundreds of years of history, and that local candidate has been using the same hateful rhetoric used by Nazis in World War II. LGBTQ+ Pride is not a new concept. Before Hitler rose to power, the Institut für Sexualwissenschaft, a German name that roughly translates to the Institute of Sexology, had amassed more than 20,000 books that were dedicated to studies on gender and sexuality. On May 6, 1933, the Institute was raided by Nazi demonstrators who subsequently burned or destroyed all the material. Anything deemed un-Christian or un-German was destroyed by groups emboldened by Hitler’s horrific ideologies. Sound familiar? These ideas and habits align completely with current Fundamentalist practices and beliefs. In February of 2022, Tennessee Pastor Greg Locke hosted a book burning for his congregation to burn any “accursed items.” Being told that seeking equity is attempting to put people into submission is utterly laughable and evidence of the lack of comprehension of what Pride is meant to do and to be. Pride is about being authentic to the most genuine version of yourself possible, and a lot of people refuse to recognize this because they are simply misinformed or want control over others. Describing and understanding your identity is an intricately personal experience that absolutely no one else has authority over, and this is a fact. Not a single person on this planet can say who you are, and I think that is a beautiful freedom we all should continue to enjoy. On June 28, 1969, the Stonewall Riots began because of raids to seek out LGBTQ+ community members. Marsha P. Johnson and several other trans women of color and community members fought back bravely, even at the risk of being religiously persecuted. A year later, the first Pride parade was born. Being from a primarily conservative, lower-middle class family, I grew up with normalized bigotry. I was told I needed to conform to traditional gender roles, attended church every time the doors were open, and although my parents suffered with their issues, I maintained straight-A’s and a 4.0 my entire time in grade school.  I had limited access to any information about more than the basics I found in bits and pieces, let alone any proper sex education that wasn’t filled with toxic purity culture and fear mongering intended to bring young people, especially young girls, shame. Yet, I still wound up queer. I was in the fifth grade when I came out as bisexual, and I was told by my guidance counselor that I needed to “seek Jesus and repent,” instead of receiving any actual assistance for the bullying I was enduring. As a teenager, I continued to do my research and learned about being nonbinary. Something I have understood about myself since I was about three, I finally had the terminology to describe. I cut my hair short, began dressing in a way that felt more like me, and had more confidence than ever. I even attended Tennessee Tech’s Governor’s School for Business and IT Leadership, and that was an immensely affirming experience with peers that accepted me without hate or question. We worked together to develop and present mock business plans without issues, which helped drive the passion for entrepreneurship I have today. If my gender or sexuality had been made an issue, I would not have had the same experience. Now, I am a student with the University of Memphis Global program and could not be more grateful for the chance to achieve a lifelong goal of becoming a college graduate. Now, I am one of the co-founders of West Tennessee LGBTQ+ Support, LLC., and we are dedicated to ensuring our community has access to the resources and aid they often desperately need. Since our founding, we have had dozens of threatening emails, Facebook comments, and other forms of trolling that have ranged from hilarious to downright atrocious. I am frequently asked if I am phased by this, but it truly becomes water down my shoulders when I see the lack of proper understanding for what it is to live the queer experience. Most hateful people simply are unable to comprehend anything other than their tiny boxes of classification, choosing instead to lash out at individuals who are living their lives how they wish. I have met people who have said our group has given them a greater sense of involvement in the community and local events as well as providing access and information to connect them to the help they need. That brings me joy beyond measure. All I ever try to do is help protect the people I care about. I share my own personal experience to highlight that we are average, everyday people. I have two beautiful kids I would give my life for and a partner that loves me for who I am. We live out in the country, love lake days and hiking with a good barbecue afterwards, and we work hard to take care of our family.  However, I see so much hatred coming from people in the Hub City, and most of it is coming from a small group of people who will never attempt to find a middle ground. As a city and state, we have bigger things to worry about than who someone else loves and what genitals someone has between their legs. Many of these discussions aim to frame drag queens and trans people as groomers, yet there are no actual laws against teachers and pastors grooming children they have a regular power over. With a drag ban that made national news that has been struck down by a Trump-appointed judge, it is easy to recognize the gross violation of our freedom of speech that comes at the cost of spending time on legislation that would actually save our children. Jackson has a lot of work to do to find synergy as a community. Restricting anyone’s personal freedoms is against what our Constitution was built upon, and I hope that more people in the community that use their religion as an opportunity to hate persecuted people will take that hatred and put it into productive avenues of activism and follow the golden rule. References CNN. (2022, February 6). See Tennessee pastor burn ‘Twilight’ and ‘Harry Potter’ books. https://www.cnn.com/videos/us/2022/02/06/pastor-holds-bonfire-burning-books-harry-potter-and-twilight-orig-as.cnn Crenshaw, K. (2016). The urgency of intersectionality. TED: Ideas Worth Spreading. https://www.ted.com/talks/kimberle_crenshaw_the_urgency_of_intersectionality History.com Editors. (2017, May 31). Stonewall riots. HISTORY. https://www.history.com/topics/gay-rights/the-stonewall-riots Nast, C. (2017, September 20). Nazis destroyed this amazing LGBTQ library in Germany. Teen Vogue. https://www.teenvogue.com/story/lgbtq-institute-in germany-was-burned-down-by-nazis

LGBTQ+ Tennesseans React to Anti-LGBTQ+ Legislation By Kal Reasons Recent legislation has led to significant fears in the LGBTQ+ community because of the potentially disastrous effects. Ivy Pepper, a member of the community with a transgender, nonbinary child, described some of the effects these bills will have on their family. Because of HB1/SB1, which is a bill that is meant to ban any medically gender-affirming care for minors across the state of Tennessee, Pepper has had to stop pursuing the option of puberty blockers for Xavier Pepper, 11, who has been experiencing increasing dysphoria without treatment. HB3/HB9 is another bill that opponents call an egregious attempt to restrict human rights. “I feel that it takes away my rights as the parent to do what I feel is best for my child,” Pepper said. In combination with the more than two dozen anti-LGBTQ+ bills being introduced, bullying is also a significant part of life for the public-school student. They have been left questioning the laws that are hurting them. “Why would you do this? Because that’s something that’s both interesting and so odd to me. People who can take something from people who are just trying to be themselves, live their lives and rip that away,” Xavier said. Although fear is a major aspect of their daily lives, the Pepper family is striving to live authentically in a loving environment. For more information on upcoming legislation, please visit West Tennessee LGBTQ+ Support on Facebook.