The U.S Department of Agriculture, in partnership with Cyndi Lauper’s True Colors Fund and the National Center for Lesbian Rights, plans a series of 13 summits across the United States to address a number of vulnerabilities that particularly affect rural LGBT+ people, and to combat public perception of farmers as ‘white, rich [and ]male.’ The “Rural Pride” campaign will “…offer a unique opportunity for USDA and other federal agencies to share information relating to policies, programs, and services that exist to protect, promote and strengthen LGBT+ rural communities.”
Nearly 10 percent of same-sex couples in the U.S live in rural areas, and this population is more likely to be on public assistance and have low-income. They are also more likely to be people of color, and to have children.