Hey, Lily and Drake here!

Thank you for visiting our page. We're hitting the road in August — with the Society of Lucky Mothers — as we make our way from Seattle, Washington to Tallahassee, Florida, to learn about anti-LGBTQ+ legislation throughout the U.S. Drake’s mother, Joan, started the Society of Lucky Mothers after Drake came out to provide support for other monthers of queer kids in our community. Through Joan's advocacy and being surrounded by other supportive moms we were inspired to create a project together tackling this topic. As members of the LGBTQ+ community ourselves, this series is close to our hearts.

Mission Statement

The spike in anti-LGBTQ legislation across the United States is impacting real people. Our goal is to amplify the voices of queer individuals and showcase how these bills impact their lives. It’s hard to hate someone when you know them. 

Logistics

Over the past three months our production team arranged accommodations and travel details. Each city has an Airbnb booked to serve as our production headquarters. We’ve rented two cars to carry our crew in from stop to stop and will fly back to our home base all together. 

We’ve arranged interviews over email and discovered our interviewee’s through their online presence, local LGBTQ+ organizations, or news coverage of their city. The research phase of the project focused on identifying potential interviewees, reading up on legislation, and learning about the history of LGBTQ+ advocacy in each city. 

COVID Safety

All members of the team are vaccinated and boosted. Prior to their interview we ask interviewees if they prefer we wear masks and if they have been vaccinated. We’ve also taken local guidelines into account in each city and will adapt our plan if needed as guidelines continue to evolve.

Here are some pictures of us and our moms ❤️

Lily (left), Drake (Right)

The whole group! From left the right, Lynn, Merideth (Lily's mom), Lily, Drake, Joan (Drake's mom), and Rachel

Interview Structure

Each city will have at least three interviewees, a local guide, a politician, and an organizer or advocate. 

The local guides will inform us on how they navigate their community as a queer person, show us their favorite local spots, and share how the recent legislation has impacted their lives. 

State and local politicians will provide more information about anti-LGBTQ bills.  Why are these bills introduced? What is the origin of each bill? How have their constituents responded to the legislation?

Local organizers and advocates will share how these bills impact their work and how they are organizing in response. 

“Queeries on Main Street”

In each city we will hit the street for a segment called “Queeries on Main Street” where we will ask local passerby’s about the legislation and LGBTQ+ trivia. The goal of the segment is to gain a better understanding of awareness around anti-LGBTQ bills and the queer community in their city. 

Mom Talks and Presentations

The group of moms, aka the Society of Lucky Mothers (SOLM), will present in the various communities we’re visiting to explain our project and how to be an ally and advocate for queer youth. Within the community we grew up in, SOLM has hosted events like these and organized pride month activities. 

Graphic Design

We’ve also been collaborating with a talented designer who’s created beautiful animations and graphics to create a cohesive style for the project. 

Designed by Jillian Broughton

Through the series we hope to shed light on the impact of this legislation while showcasing a variety of queer experinces across America.