Locals turned out in droves for an HRC Mississippi Town Hall on Tuesday, March 7 to mark the culmination of the first stage of Project One America’s video storytelling series, #LoveYourNeighbor. The event took place in Tupelo, Mississippi where the seven videos were filmed to explore the experience of LGBTQ people and allies in Northeast Mississippi.

The project was funded by a generous grant from Toyota, which has a manufacturing plant in Blue Springs, just outside of Tupelo. Several of the event’s attendees were Toyota employees, including one woman who spoke to the welcoming, inclusive environment at the company. Toyota received a 100 percent rating on HRC’s 2017 Corporate Equality Index, the national benchmarking tool on corporate policies and practices pertinent to lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender employees.

“Tuesday's event capped off a successful, multi-week campaign that told the stories of LGBTQ and allied people in Tupelo, and contributed to a dialogue we hope will continue,” said HRC Mississippi State Director Rob Hill. “The crowd that joined us exemplified what it means to love your neighbor, and we are grateful that this project was able to bring so many Northeast Mississippians together.”

The event featured a panel of the video participants, who answered questions from a moderator about their experiences growing up as LGBTQ, or how to best be an ally for the LGBTQ community. After a wide-ranging discussion of the highs and lows that come along with being LGBTQ in Northeast Mississippi, the attendees were able to ask the panel participants questions. The majority of people asked about how to be a better ally and expressed feelings of acceptance for their friends and neighbors, and many forcefully said that they will have their neighbors’ backs if anyone gives them trouble in the future.

Fortunately, this event and conversation was just the beginning, and Project One America and HRC Mississippi will continue to engage the local communities about LGBTQ issues into the future. HRC is grateful to Toyota for helping fund this project, as well as the Tupelo community for coming out in full force for their LGBTQ neighbors.

Watch all of the #LoveYourNeighbor videos and read their stories at hrc.im/LoveYourNeighbor.