Social group brings LGBTQ+ people together

John Fahey: Many LGBTQ+ people are limited in social networking options.

Last May 4, the Facebook group that became 417 Out And About was created. The private group curates activities for the local LGBTQ+ community, some members of which may feel isolated from other supports.

The idea was born on a game night on New Year’s Eve 2021, when John Fahey, co-owner of Wallace Rae Salon, and a group of friends drew up a list of things they wanted to do in the coming year – things like bowling leagues, sports nights and regional outings. The group considered inviting more people to join in the fun, as linking people’s hobbies with networking might help members of the LGBTQ+ community build relationships locally.

“We’re a group of people that are alienated from our families and our church groups, which are the traditional means of social networking,” Fahey said.

His husband, Jason Ray, the executive director of the Southwest Missouri Council of Governments, brought his organizational expertise to play and registered 417 Out And About Inc. as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit so it could open a checking account to pay for activities.

Today, there are 540 members in the Facebook group, administered by Fahey, Ray and Matt Le, owner and photographer at Luxium Creative.

Fahey reflected on the night it all got started.

“At that point we were noticing that there weren’t many things to do in the springtime, so we decided that we would do a bowling league,” he said.

That first eight-week league competition had 35-40 bowlers, and their entry fees provided seed money for the group.

“It just kind of grew organically from there,” he said.

Next came Sports of All Sorts, a series of competitions where participants played pickleball, kickball and other games at a local park. Monthly activities became the norm, with mini golf, theater events and, most recently, a group tour of the Springfield Art Museum and a trivia night at Mother’s Brewing Co.

Anyone can send a request to join the group or be added by a friend who is already a member, Fahey said.

Some events have alcohol as a component, but it’s important to Fahey that activities not be centered on it. The LGBTQ+ community is at heightened risk for substance abuse, he said. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has found LGBTQ+ adults are twice as likely as their heterosexual counterparts to experience addiction.

“I think that stems from lack of community, longing, depression from lack of self-acceptance – all those things,” he said. “We’re trying to have a more helpful environment for people to meet and communicate.”

Retention
While 417 Out And About is a group for any adult, a majority of its members are younger professionals.

The Springfield Area Chamber of Commerce has identified workforce needs as the No. 1 concern that local businesses perceive to be limiting growth, as the baby boomer generation exits the workforce in numbers too big to replace.

The chamber’s membership sets direction for its agenda, said President and CEO Matt Morrow, and recent actions show the rights of LGBTQ+ professionals are on its radar.

“The chamber’s member-driven and board-approved 2023 state legislative agenda specifically opposes legislation that would allow businesses to discriminate based on sexual orientation and gender identity,” Morrow said.

The chamber and its Springfield Business Development Corp. try to meet the workforce retention issue head-on with a Talent Attraction website promoting the city’s attributes, like low cost of living, outdoor amenities and more. The site does not specifically target the LGBTQ+ demographic, however.

Meanwhile, young professionals are identifying as LGBTQ+ in increasing numbers – including nearly one-fifth of Generation Z.

Fahey said he knows of many gay professionals who have left Springfield to seek a more supportive community elsewhere, but that’s not how it has to be.

“I’ve lived as an openly gay man in southwest Missouri for my entire adult life,” he said. “I have had the advantage of being involved in the community and owning a successful business while being active and involved in the community. I do think it takes people working to create this atmosphere, but I believe it can be done.”

Gallup conducts an annual measure of U.S. adults who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender or something other than heterosexual. Results for 2022, released in February 2023, found these adults make up 7.2% of the population, more than double the figure from 2012.

Among adult members of Generation Z, born 1997-2004, 19.7% identified as LGBT, compared with 11.2% of millennials (born 1981-96), 3.3% of Gen Xers (1965-80), 2.7% of baby boomers (1946-64) and 1.7% of the silent generation (1945 and before).

Ray is not only a founder in 417 Out And About; he also serves as board president of Springfield Black Tie Inc., which hosts an annual gala to raise money for LGBTQ+ charities.

Ray said attendee surveys show they are loyal to brands and businesses that specifically support the LGBTQ+ community. Each year, Springfield Black Tie publishes a directory of gay-friendly businesses, with a range of professionals from physicians to bakers to bankers.

“We call it the gay Yellow Pages,” Ray said.

It’s further evidence that gay professionals are in search of identification and belonging.

“There are a lot of people in the community that live a double life because they don’t feel comfortable being out at work or with their clients or the people they interact with through their professional work,” he said. “To me, that limits them being able to be themselves and to reach their full potential at their place of work.”

Being out in the office leads to better working relationships and better project delivery, according to Ray.

“From my own perspective, I have a much closer relationship with clients I am open with and can be my genuine self with,” he said.

Importance of community
Kyler Sherman-Wilkins is an assistant professor of sociology and anthropology at Missouri State University and president of The GLO Center, which serves the Ozarks’ LGBTQ+ community. He said 417 Out And About fills an important role.

“Queer professionals bring a diverse perspective, innovation and a love of community that is essential for community growth,” he said. “Moreover, the more accepting and tolerant a community is, the more appealing it is to younger professionals, writ large.”

Sherman-Wilkins said the biggest unmet need locally is a lack of city-level protections for the queer community.

Springfield City Council passed a sexual orientation and gender identity ordinance in 2014 to provide legal recourse to LGBTQ+ residents in cases where they faced discrimination. It was a short-lived protection, with a 51% majority of voters overturning it in 2015. Councilmember Craig Hosmer has stated he intends to bring the ordinance back for council consideration, but he did not respond to Springfield Business Journal’s email asking when.

At council’s May 8 meeting, recent council candidate Jeremy Dean approached the city leaders to ask them to make a statement of support for the LGBTQ+ community, and he said he would work with local organizations to provide one for them to consider.

Sherman-Wilkins said he thinks of Springfield as a pendulum.

“We swing back and forth,” he said. “No doubt, we are facing very tough times ahead, particularly attacks directed toward trans folks.”

He was referring to measures being considered in the state legislature to limit care and participation in various elements of life for transgender people. On May 10, the state legislature sent two bills – one limiting gender-affirming care and the other forbidding trans athletes from participating in team sports – described by state advocacy group Promo as anti-trans legislation to the governor, whose signature is pending as of press time.

“I am the eternal optimist, and I do think that brighter days are ahead,” Sherman-Wilkins said. “It does require resistance and activism, though.”

Some activism happens in council chambers or the state legislature, but some happens at the bowling alley with a group that aims to bring a community together.

“Any time when we think of the hierarchy of needs, we have to have community,” Fahey said. “Of course, we have to be fed, but you know, our souls have to be fed, too.”