HAGERSTOWN, Md. (AP) - Small-town pride has a new meaning in rural America.
Now that victories for same-sex marriage and other LGBT rights have made it easier for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people to live openly, many more small towns are getting LGBT resource centers and pride festivals, including Saturday's event in downtown Hagerstown, Maryland.
Twenty-nine-year-old organizer Todd Garnand says he's never felt the hostility that made older gay men live secret lives or move to bigger cities. His great-uncle Ron Beachley says it boggles his mind to see a pride festival held on the same downtown block where he feared being seen in a gay nightclub.
