Rainbow Words: Seeking LGBT+ Dracut Residents for Interviews!
Calling all LGBTQIA+ Dracut residents—Rainbow Dracuteers is launching a new interview blog series that centers & celebrates your voices!
We want to hear your stories and experiences being a queer Dracuteer. Whether you've lived here for five years or fifty, your voice matters! Too often, folks who are gay or gender diverse find themselves made invisible. LGBT+ existence is allocated to back corners even if we manage to escape the closet. With this new interview series, Rainbow Words, we seek to make our voices heard & our stories seen.
——————FAQ——————
Do you have to publish my real name?
Every interviewee has the right to speak anonymously. We will work with you to protect your identity while also giving voice to your experiences. Any blog post will only be posted with the explicit permission of the interview subject. A chosen alias may be used to obscure one's identity as needed.
I used to live in Dracut but don't anymore—can I still be interviewed for Rainbow Words?
Your stories still matter! So long as you called Dracut home for a decent amount of time (at least 2-5 years), you're eligible to be interviewed. The subject of the interview will focus on your time as a Dracuteer, though other stories that center around your identity & livelihood may certainly be included even if they occurred outside the Merrimack Valley.
How will the interviews be conducted?
Interviews can be done either in-person or remotely at the interview subject's discretion. We will talk in whichever medium is easiest for you! Any recording done during the interview is purely for reference purposes and will not be released. It is solely for help in the transcribing process. All interviews will be published as text articles on the Rainbow Dracuteers website as a blog series.
Can I promote my local business/online enterprise in the interview?
We support buying local! If you'd like to share with others your local business or services, we wouldn't mind. However, it is up to the discretion of Rainbow Dracuteers whether or not a particular endorsement is appropriate to share within the interview itself. More often than not, though, we're happy to shout-out Dracut's entrepreneurs!
I'm not LGBT+ myself, but I am an ally. Can I be interviewed?
The only non-LGBT+ interview subjects we would consider are parents/guardians of young queer kids. Even then, whenever possible, we would much prefer to let those children tell their own stories. Interviews with both queer child and allied parent would certainly be welcome, though!
Can someone who only works in Dracut be interviewed?
Depending on the work you do and how long you've been working in town, Rainbow Dracuteers will consider you as an interview subject. Folks with professions that work with the public—teachers, nurses, social workers, retail workers, food service, etc—will have greater consideration.
Through sharing our stories, we raise the visibility of LGBTQIA+ lives and make it known that we are as human as our neighbors. We are here, we have always been here, and our voices matter. Dracut is made better by the inclusion of queer residents; it is the hope of Rainbow Dracuteers that sharing our stories will showcase and celebrate the strength, diversity, & resilience of gay and gender diverse community members in our Merrimack Valley town.
Interested in telling your story? Want to share your voice in the Rainbow Words blog series? Click the button below!