Finding Community and Queering St. Cloud
By: Dexter Hanson (they/them)
In 2017 I chose to move to St. Cloud from Brookings, South Dakota. I moved for new opportunities–the chance to have the freedom to be who I am as a proud member of the genderqueer community.
From quite a young age, I knew that I didn’t fit into the boxes of stereotypical “male” or “female.” I thought of myself as a strong mix of both, thus identifying as “half-a”. To me, this meant that I was equal parts male and equal parts female. It wasn’t until much later that I knew there was an actual term for this.
It took me some time to find my place here in St. Cloud. The resources and information about the queer community were not easily found via social media or general internet searches. I finally found my breakthrough at our local Pride, which exposed me to a whole new world.
I found a community of diversity in gender and sexual identity inclusion, the kind of community I was struggling to find before.
Much to my surprise, St. Cloud has a diverse community hidden from the public eye. While getting to know more and more about the community around me, I was fortunate enough to run into groups such as the Queer Peers group here in Downtown St. Cloud.
Initially, I knew nothing about Queer Peers—what it stood for or even what my involvement would look like. But Queer Peers opened me up to an entire community of people who share similar values and beliefs as I do. I found a community of diversity in gender and sexual identity inclusion, the kind of community I was struggling to find before.
My participation in Queer Peers grew quickly. TakeAction Minneosta organizer Britton Mikkelsen was supportive and connected queer issues with actions we could take here in St. Cloud as well as nationwide. I deeply value my connection with Queer Peers because of the resources, skills, and perspectives each member brings to understanding and addressing local social and economic issues affecting our area.
From advocating for a ban against conversion therapy to fighting for health care for all, I found a political home that bridged my desire for queer community with tangible ways to create change.
Whether you are someone who has a passion to help spread knowledge or have a thirst for local queer politics, Queer Peers can be a political home for you, too. Together, we can queer St. Cloud so that everyone can live full, joyful, and authentic lives.
The Queer Peers Table is a group created—not only to make space for queer people in Central Minnesota—but also to wrestle with the possibility of what it means to be liberated. Join and help us dream and build a world where there is just enough space for our humanity as there is for the humanity of non-LGBTQ people.
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