"High Priority to Achieve Basic Equality"

This week, we explored how Wyoming's LGBTQ+ community lacks protection from discrimination. According to an article by WPR, the Human Rights Campaign says that Wyoming is a state that is a "High priority to achieve basic equality." The way Wyoming has treated its LGBTQ+ community has become famous-- or rather, infamous-- over the years. Whether it's conspiracy theories surrounding the death of Matthew Shepard or former Senator Enzi telling a high school student that a man wearing a tutu "gets what he deserves", the state has failed to live up to its motto of "equal rights" when it comes to its queer citizens. But how do these lack of protections impact the average queer Wyomingite?

For me, discrimination first reared its ugly head when I started working at my first job. I’d been working at the small gift shop in downtown Casper for about a week when it happened.  I was fifteen, excited to make some money on the side to help save up for college, hang out with friends, and go on a big trip my Girl Scout troop was planning.

The business was a mom-and-pop style shop. Wilson*, the owner, employed his nephew, Jack, an ex-con named Mark, and me. The four of us had varying schedules. On this particular day, it was just Wilson and me in the shop. It was a slow day; one that was highly uneventful for the most part. Wilson had gone upstairs to his office when the familiar chime above the door sounded. A couple of women were coming in.

“Welcome to Wyoming Shirt and Gift,” I said, confidently filling the role I’d been called forth to. “Are you looking for anything in particular today?” The ladies smiled and told me they weren’t. I let them know I was here to help. They went into one of the side rooms in the store and I continued doing some cleaning behind the counter.

The stairs groaned as Wilson made his way down. This business was his pride and joy. It made sense for him to want to take my training seriously and not quite trust a high schooler to run the show while he wasn’t around.

The women emerged from the side room holding hands and carrying some baby clothes. They seemed so happy. As a young lesbian who had been harassed after coming out and had told myself that I could never have a life as a queer person in Wyoming, just seeing this couple gave me a bit of hope. My heart felt lighter. I smiled and looked over at Wilson.

He was frowning.

The women came up to the register, paid, and left. Nothing eventful happened as I punched the numbers in the register and Wilson bagged up the items. We engaged in a bit of small talk, but everything that happened was normal. Average.

The door chimed again. The women had left. Immediately, Wilson went into a rage. He started talking about how gay people were ruining marriage and demanding special treatment from society.
“In fact,” he growled, “I would never hire a gay person. They don’t have the same work ethic as us normal people do.” He put his hand on my shoulder and the lightness in my heart turned into stone, sinking deep into my chest. I knew then that if I wanted to keep this job, I wouldn’t be able to tell anyone there who I really was.

I worked at that job for four years. Despite never coming out, I was still treated differently. Maybe it was because Jack was Wilson's nephew, or because I was a woman, but they always took it upon themselves to make me feel like an outcast despite being the most thorough worker in the building. I could not be, and would not be, appreciated at that job.

[*To protect the identities of those involved, all names have been changed.]