Friday, May 3, 2024
Granbury resident Adrienne Martin, who serves as chair of the Democratic party of Hood County created “Granbury for All,” a group that serves as a safe and supportive place for the LGBTQ community to come together.
The group was formed in August last year and continues to grow.
Martin was inspired to create the group after she was selected to be a part of the HBO Max reality show, “We’re Here” that aired last November.
Martin was featured on season three where the show focuses on three famous drag queens going around the United States and visiting small towns. In the series, the queens recruit a group of local residents to share their stories, increase awareness and promote acceptance in their communities. The residents get to compete in a one-night-only drag show.
“It was incredible. It was a really cool experience that was a once in a lifetime thing,” Martin said. “There was so much strife in the community and I saw all this hate online. You felt the energy in the air. It was so negative, but it gave me insight into how (LGBTQ) people are every day and they’re afraid.”
After the show aired, many residents of Granbury reached out to Martin expressing how alone they feel in the town as part of the LGBTQ community and some even expressed feeling threatened living in the town and unsafe.
“We literally had nothing that was forming a community for LGBTQ people here in Granbury. We had to change that,” Martin said.
Martin and her neighbor, who is a parent of a transgender child, decided to create “Granbury for all” and the group strives to be a lasting group that will continue to grow.
The group started out on Facebook and now it holds monthly get-togethers.
“My fear was that it would just be me showing up, but that hasn’t happened. We have anywhere from six to 20 people show up. A lot of people really look forward to it. People are meeting people they wouldn’t ever have necessarily met and feeling included. I feel really proud of that,” Martin said.
“I want people to know and feel they’re supported, especially young people that maybe aren’t supported in their homes. Even if they don’t feel supported, they are. We’re here. There’s a lot of people who stand by them and will stand up for them,” Martin said. “That’s what we want to do. We want to watch this community flourish and make connections and feel safe and secure here. They have the right to be here just like anybody else, and nobody has the right to intimidate people and make them feel like they don’t belong. They do belong.”
To get connected to the group, just search for “Granbury For All” on Facebook.
