Out on the small town with Fresno’s Robin McGehee

3582882007_04f2413006Gays & lesbians are making their presence known outside the major metropolitan areas, boding well for the marriage equality movement. Robin McGehee is one of those trailblazers. The Fresno, CA, mother of two created  the pro-marriage force Meet in the Middle for Equality, which drew thousands to Fresno in May. Her message: bring the fight to for marriage equality to regions that voted in support of Prop 8 since we already have amassed large majorities in the coastal cites. With Fresno Pride the following weekend, the Central Valley has been bursting with gay activity never before seen. But truth be told, options for a gay ‘ol night on the town (or even Sunday morning church) still aren’t as varied and numerous for Fresno’s LGBT folk as they are in more open cities. GayCities contributor Laura Hautala caught up with McGehee to get the lowdown on Fresno fledgling gay scene.

You’re part of an LGBT family group called Kids Like Us.  What are some queer-friendly places you like to go with your family in Fresno. 

We love going to family-friendly locations across the city of Fresno and prefer to find places where our family is treated with respect and openness. Some of the family events that we have planned before include: Chaffee Zoo, Island WaterparkJax Junglehouse (a great place for the kids to play while we do date night), local community parks, Pump it Up in Clovis, John’s Incredible Pizza.

You recently tweeted that you were, “wondering if Obama is flying high after meeting promise to take Michelle on a date – must be nice to have equality and enjoy life?!”  When you’re not fighting to have the same rights as the President, is there somewhere special in Fresno you like to go with your wife Kathy?

We LOVE eating at our favorites. For sushi, we head to Sushi Hana in Downtown Fresno. We love Palomino’s in the Tower District, Max’s Bistro, etc.  So, dinner out and if Kathy has anything to do it, we are headed to a movie as well. To be honest, we have gotten such few moments together that anything we do together, we enjoy.  We truly love the moments to converse around recent events and next steps and just process the kids, and family life.

Some of the activists, especially gay men, who traveled to Fresno complained they could only find a few gay bars. They are from cities with dozens of them, of every sort, for every crowd. What would it take to build a bigger community there?

A community center – tell them to call me and underwrite that cost and we will make it happen – TOGETHER. With many of the LGBT+ $’s going to larger coastal cities, it is time to invest in the communities that need the most change. But, for Fresno, we have four amazing bars that cater to every walk of our community.  I am proud of that fact and look forward to the day when we can support a lesbian bar again and have nightly LGBT+ events that aren’t dependent on how much money they can bring in, but meet the need to make visibility happen. I think of the young LGBT+ community that needs to feel a sense of community in their own front and back yard – I am tired of watching people leave the valley because their community has been hijacked, once again. 

Fresno gay bars:

What about religion?  The Castro alone has several gay churches and friendly denominations. Where do gay churchgoers end up in Fresno, and how do you reach out to conservative religious leaders?

We have [many] progressive faith communities that truly reach out and in to support LGBT and progressive allies:

These churches hold services where everyone is welcome and they practice what they preach.  The LGBT+ and progressive allies community work hard to counter the oppressive rhetoric that comes from the religious right churches that exist in this community.  We have done faith outreach (handing out flowers with open and affirming faith language and other areas of outreach), but the strongest work we can do is make sure we are just as visible as the messages they produce, from the pulpit to the TV to the streets.

You brought thousands of Californians to “the middle,” partly to show the Central Valley that LGBT people want to reach out to them.  What do you hope that rallying visitors have taken home with them about Fresno?

First, that we have to make sure we don’t forget our LGBT brothers and sisters who are behind enemy lines – in and outside of a political campaign.  Second, we MUST do the work to partner with other progressive issues and causes so we become a stronger majority – once we lock hand-in-hand, shoulder to shoulder, fist in the air, saying enough is enough around the issues of inequality – we will be united for equality and we will WIN. We will win for the LGBT community and for the issues that are important to our allies as well. This movement has got to be more about partnering with the “others” that share our values, than subdividing us to make us weaker.

What will it take to change hearts & minds in California’s heartland?

We must share the stories that relate to this region – family, faith, caring for your neighbor and how taking their rights away does not communicate that objective. We have to find common ground and some times, we will not agree and that is where we must not take it to the religious document that makes that divide, but display and discuss the government documents that insure equality, through liberty and justice for all. I want to just be on the lake, riding my bike, playing in the park with my kids, just like any other parent in this Valley. We have to find a way to make that connection and ask where in what they value does their religion or personal opinions or desires begin to trump mine – this is America – we are built on the foundation of religious freedoms and protecting the rights and abilities of the other.

photo by sicarr

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