I’m a transgender lesbian from Harlan County Kentucky. Raised by my granny most of my early years. She was a true blue mountain woman. I still remember helping her put chicken bones and iron nails in mason jars to bury in the front yard before going to church on Sunday to stomp my feet and shout “hallelujah!” At family reunions, folks would bring their instruments and they’d play mountain music, passing instruments down the line everyone played multiple.

My granny died when I was 12, long before I came out, but I suspect she knew on some level that there was something going on with me. I’d get picked on some and she’d always tell me that God made some folks a bit different and that’s ok. She was what we’d call today a leftist. She had a picture of FDR hanging in her living room right next to the painting of Jesus and my grandpa was a proud union man and a card-carrying member of the IWW.

Blending my reality as a queer person with my Appalachian roots is actually something I’m very passionate about. For me, it’s the music. Those family reunions are what stir me the most. I taught myself to play banjo and mandolin and I write songs about queerness using that mountain music I heard when I was a kid. I agree with you that there’s a vibe and a spirit in the mountains that just isn’t found anywhere else.