Young people in Appalachia are being shaped in an era fraught with political unrest, surrounded by almost insurmountable global issues that will shape the world they inherit. But all at once, they are expected to both save the world and care far less about things too serious for them to understand. Here, we give young Appalachians space to think out loud, examine and amplify issues they know are impacting their identities, their communities and, by extension, their politics.
As a queer and gender-nonconforming person navigating life in a region deeply entrenched in Christianity, I find myself straddling two worlds. While I don’t hold any religious beliefs, I cannot deny the profound impact that Appalachian and Deep Southern Christianity have on the queer experience. […]