When I look at the below images what I see is queer joy.

These photos show some of the messiness and fun that is queer childhood. In one image, a child with purple hair holds onto another with an arm outstretched. They are smiling and running, looking like they feel free.

For so many kids in the south, there is no safe space to be a child and do things like those documented in the photographs—acts of embracing and leaning on each other, singing, gossiping, or telling each other secrets.  

Many still fall prey to narratives that assume queers only exist in big cities.  The reality is that queer folks everywhere often go through extremely complicated true lived experiences.

I was recently part