About Us
Mission and Values
The Queer-Oriented Rural Resource Network (QORRN) is dedicated to helping LGBTQ+ individuals in rural communities access the resources and services they need.
We value the important work that is happening on the ground in rural communities all across America. Our aim is to elevate the profile of existing resources and to amplify their messages so that people in need can find them easily.
We recognize that the LGBTQ+ communities are expansive and expanding. We strive to include resources that attend to a wide variety of needs, identities, and experiences.
Importantly, we know that struggles are interconnected: the quest for Queer liberation is intrinsically connected with the quests for Black, Brown, Indigenous, and Immigrant liberation. Black Lives Matter. Black Queer Lives Matter. Black Trans Lives Matter.
Context
In April 2019, the Movement Advancement Project (in partnership with the Equality Federation, National Center for Lesbian Rights, and the National Black Justice Coalition) published a report called “Where We Call Home: LGBT People in Rural America”. They found that between 2.9 and 3.8 million people living in rural America are LGBT and that they face higher rates of discrimination due to “the social and political landscape of rural areas.”
One particularly telling line from the report summary reads:
“…the greater social and geographic isolation of rural areas means there are fewer support structures available to LGBT people in rural areas. When LGBT people in rural areas face discrimination, or even simply are struggling with acceptance or coming out, there are fewer places to turn for social support, legal support, or even just basic information.”
Later in 2019, QORRN was founded to help point people to the resources available to them at the local, statewide, and inter/national levels.
Our Team
QORRN is 100% volunteer run. We would not exist without a team of dedicated and generous volunteers. We gratefully acknowledge the following individuals for their contributions:
Anonymous • Zahra Barnes • Andrea Bartels • Mélisa Breiner-Sanders • Ally Camelio • Brandon Chiou • Gwendolyn Perry Davis • Frank DiCiaccio • Frankie DiCiaccio • Joey Donnelly • Lindsay Kulla Ellis • Kelsey Ettman • Brian Evans • Madisyn Fairchild • Jeremy Floyd • Claire Frederiksen • Jason Holmes • Corinna Joyner • Martha Koch • Andrea Levine • Andee McEvoy Ryerson • Daniel McCarey • Jules Nestler • Lauren Noll • Alexander Pepperman • Diana Raiselis • Anne Schuler • Enrico Spada • Michala Stock • Walls Trimble • Rachel Valdez
Executive Director
Frankie DiCiaccio
Website Design and Support
Enrico Spada
Logo Design
Bowie Dunwoody
Contact Us
We value your thoughts and look forward to hearing from you. Please note that because QORRN is 100% volunteer-run, it may take some time for us to respond to your inquiry.
Due to the volume of resources included in our network, QORRN is unable to vet individual providers. QORRN reserves the right to remove any provider from our network at any time.