There are many things to love about growing up in a small town — whether you did grow up in a small town or if you just fantasized about it. You feel a little safer going out by yourself or leaving your car doors unlocked. You could run into someone from high school who you haven't seen in a while and still have a pleasant conversation. If your family happens to be good friends with most of the police officers, it could get you out of some small trouble.
There are consequences to growing up in a small town as well. If you do end up in a spot of trouble in that town, everyone knows the next morning. It's easier to have your niceness taken advantage of when you're used to being able to offer a helping hand. It could be that growing up in your small town has made you outspoken in some aspects, especially when you never really agreed with everyone in town.
Being a liberal, growing up in a very conservative farm town had its ups and downs. It was always fascinating to see how much different people would look at you based on whether you agreed with them politically or not. But after a while, it gets old. It gets so old that you almost don't even want to join in on discussions because you know that your views are going to be ignored or questioned.
In elementary and middle school, you'll do just about anything you can to fit in with everyone else. That meant listening to what everyone else was saying and agreeing with them. When Hillary Clinton ran for president the first time, she was bad for whatever reason kids could come up with. The one that sticks out the most was that she wanted all schools to have school uniforms. Ah, the horror!
I was in third grade when I first heard the word lesbian used as an insult. At 9 years old, I didn't even know what a lesbian was. And when I found out, I couldn't understand why it was such a bad thing for two girls to love each other. I kept my questioning to myself, as everyone else seemed to find "lesbian" to be a reasonable insult. But because it was obviously an insult to everyone else, it became one to me.
It took me a really long time to realize that I don't agree with that, and that's OK.
I was in high school when I realized that whenever there was a discussion about politics, I stuck out like a sore thumb. The beginning of high school was around the time LGBT+ rights were really gaining ground, at least enough for high schoolers to notice. Small discussions would break out in classes, and there would be myself and maybe a few other people asking, why is it so bad for people to be married to who they love? With the only rebuttal being the fact that marriage was being ruined for everyone else, that marriage is meant for a man and a woman.
From marriage equality to welfare, from transgender rights to abortion, there was always a vast difference in opinions. It felt like I was always sticking up for the underdog, and that was fine with me and still is. Growing up as the underdog makes way for a lot of insight when you finally have the chance to think for yourself.
Despite the negatives, growing up as a liberal in a place filled with conservatives was one of the best things to happen in my life. I have a voice, and I am not afraid to use it. There are two sides to every standpoint, and there is nothing wrong with looking at the side everyone else seems to be ignoring.
Use your voice as your podium, even if it seems that no one else is listening. Your voice can make a difference in someone else's life, and they can make a difference in someone too. Big voices start out with an individual, and what is really stopping you from being that individual?
