Before Prison

OUTSPOKEN tells the story of the rebirth of the LGBTQ community in Parkersburg, West Virginia. In August 2017, the Parkersburg city council shut down a nondiscrimination ordinance (NDO) that would've protected LGBTQ residents from discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations. The ordinance divided the community, emboldening both sides of the aisle to speak out. While LGBTQ advocates argued the law provided necessary human rights protections, opposition to the law argued it discriminated against Christian business owners and made women unsafe in the restroom. At that time, no one realized the failure of this law would spark a year-long activist movement and reinvigorate the fight for LGBTQ visibility.