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Some even call it a Southern version of San Francisco.
Make sure you take your time to get to know the different parts of Arkansas. “School Pronoun Restriction Given Panel Go-Ahead.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, March 15, 2023, pp.
1A, 5A. Despite statewide and nationwide strides toward equality under the law, LGBTQ+ Arkansans still face ongoing discrimination—and the fight for rights, safety, and acceptance is far from over.
Legal Issues and Context
The first reference to homosexuality in the bound index to the now-defunct Arkansas Gazette is from October 1973, four years after the Stonewall Riots (the first “shot” fired in the Gay Revolution, when a group of Greenwich Village gays stood up to police during a raid on the Stonewall Inn, a gay bar in New York) and reads, “see Sodomy.” The article states simply that the state Supreme Court had upheld the then-135-year-old Arkansas law, which read: “Every person convicted of sodomy or buggery will be imprisoned in the state penitentiary for not less than one year nor more than 21 years.” The following month, the U.S.
Supreme Court upheld Arkansas’s sodomy law, denying an appeal by two Miller County men convicted of having sex at a public rest area along Interstate 30. “Gay-Owned Businesses Thriving in State.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, July 7, 2024, pp. In the city, nine churches are known for being welcoming to the gay community, with "New Beginnings" being a church exclusively for the gay community and holding services every Sunday.
The Heights and Hillcrest are the oldest and most lively neighborhoods in the city.
Arkansas has several LGBT-friendly cities. In addition to the three Pride events held annually during Diversity Weekends, the town offers a diverse range of activities that cater to the LGBTQ+ community and its allies. UCA has a group named PRISM, which represents Pride, Raising Awareness, Involvement, Support, and Mentoring. This time, however, even the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette came out against the amendment, claiming “it goes too far.” Three-fourths of Arkansas voters disagreed.
Online at http://www.arktimes.com/arkansas/at-long-last-marriage-for-all-comes-to-arkansas/Content?oid=3932689 (accessed February 22, 2023).
Langhorne, Will. State legislators promised to pass a legislative ban during the 2007 session of the Arkansas General Assembly but failed. 14–16, 18–19. The influence of this group can still be seen in Fayetteville's lesbian community today.
Fayetteville has some gay-friendly bars, such as Ron's Place and Dickson St.
Theater, where you can catch the "Xanadu" drag show on Sunday nights. Whether you call yourself a man, woman, male, female, boy, boi, girl, gurl, guy, gal, daddy, cross dresser, butch, fem, leather, bear, gay, lesbian, drag king, drag queen, homosexual, bisexual, transgender, transsexual, alternative, questioning, curious, or simply human - where to find a fun place for meeting or dating or scene to free your life.
Travel from north, south, east, west, central, uptown, midtown, downtown, county, city - driving directions from your address to the location of the new Arkansas gay watering hole.
Since then, other states like Arizona, Texas, and Alabama have also passed similar laws.
The American Civil Liberties Union sued on behalf of several families of transgender teens, aged 9 to 16. The law was widely regarded as a retread of the 2015 bill, allowing discrimination against LGBTQ persons, but did not attract the same level of national outrage, the fact that most Republican-led states were advancing such legislation that year perhaps serving to defuse the opprobrium.
“Ban on Kids’ Transgender Care Vetoed.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, April 6, 2021, pp. “Hutchinson Signs Gender Bill.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, March 26, 2021, pp. Online at https://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2023/mar/20/school-districts-await-governors-decision-on/ (accessed March 20, 2023).
“State Policy Profile—Arkansas.” Movement Advancement Project.
“Gender Transition Suits Bill Endorsed.” Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, March 8, 2024, pp. Fayetteville
The University of Arkansas is located in Fayetteville, Arkansas, which is in the northwest part of the state. However, in 2007, the Eureka Springs (Carroll County) city council voted to create a registry of domestic partnerships.