Is Cottonwood an example for us all?

LEAVE A PENNY: Last year, Cottonwood, Arizona was at the center of a national debate on drag performances in public spaces. A rural drag show meant to provide visibility for LGBTQ+ residents had its liquor license revoked, Proud Boys showed up in protest with military-style rifles, and one outspoken councilwoman, Lisa DuVernay, used the opportunity to inflame her MAGA base to fill City Council meetings and sparked a recall for the mayor.

During one such meeting, a resident got up and said something that—inadvertently—would change the way people in the city would look at each other. She got up to the dais and denounced Penny Smith, a local woman who was well-revered and brought drag to Cottonwood years before, for supporting the LGBTQ+ community.

That didn't sit well with people who knew Penny—and that was practically everyone.

Soon, the town united around a new mission: The Penny Peace Project, whose mission was to lower the temperature and bring civility back to the city.

Read our full story here:

How a local turn-of-phrase turned into a call for peace across ideologies

Penny Smith was admired in Cottonwood. So when someone besmirched her in a city council meeting, residents sought to lower the temperature.

LOOKOUTCelina Jiménez (she/her)

LOOKOUT'S TAKE: As a nonpartisan news outlet, we love these kinds of stories. Yes, we love accountability, too. But as America grows increasingly more divisive, stories of people finding common ground and the humanity within each other is what could be the solution to our political unrest.

We've done a lot of programs similar to this, especially with our Summer of Solutions series where we found people across varying political and personal ideologies to discuss a common tool that everyone can rally around and bring home to their neighborhoods or families.

(Quick note: It doesn't always work.)

But having these conversations—and showing that it has worked in other places—is at the very least a first step in the right direction.

What do you think could be a way to bring people with opposing views from you into the fold? Share your thoughts by replying back to this email!

🌵 LOCAL NEWS

• RURAL DRAG: The touring rural drag show is back on the road again making stops across all of Arizona. Gila Valley Central
• BANNED BOOKS COMES HOME: A Higley Unified School District teacher is being investigated by Gilbert police after a parent accused her of promoting sexual content for a district-approved book reading assignment. It's unclear what the book is. Gilbert Sun News

🇺🇸 NATIONAL NEWS

• MILITARY DEFENSE: House Democrats penned a letter to ranking members of the House Committee on Armed Services urging the removal of discriminating language against the LGBTQ+ community before signing onto the National Defense Authorization Act. U.S. Congress
• BIBLE (MIS)TRANSLATION: The Bible has been translated into multiple languages, and in 1946, "homosexual" was swapped out with "pedophile." That mistranslation, a new documentary shows, is the basis for how American politics around LGBTQ+ rights has shifted over the past 80 years. Lavender LOOKOUT NOTE: We are screening "1946: The Mistranslation That Shifted A Culture" during OUTWATCH Fest on Mon. Oct. 7 at Gracie's Tax Bar in Phoenix at 7 p.m. followed by a fireside chat with Jeanne Casteen, executive director of Secular AZ. Get your free ticket to our event here.
• VIRGINIA TEACHER WINS: A teacher that refused to honor the pronouns of a student and was subsequently fired won his lawsuit against the state. LGBTQ Nation
• CONVERSION THERAPY: A study of 4,400 LGBTQ+ people who had undergone conversion therapy showed higher rates of depression and suicidal thoughts. U.S. News and World Report

Last week's question: What local workout group is meeting every week to help trans and gender nonconforming people feel safer about working out in a communal space?

Last week's answer: Everybody Lifting Club