24 | OutBoise Magazine | NEWS
OutBoise.com | Issue 1.2 | November 2014
The Treasure Valley UnityGary Simpson
Project
by
I moved back here to Boise nearly 3 years ago.
Upon arrival, I had no idea what my intentions
were going to be. I just got out of a 4 year relationship, and it didn’t end well. I didn’t know anyone,
really. And decided to spend some time with
people in our community.
I was welcomed quite warmly, but despite the
inviting atmosphere, I was quickly met with warnings. Who not to associate with, who to trust, who
not to. At first, I chose not to react to what people
had to say. I let their comments go, and just
continued through life, not really worrying what
anyone else had to say. I figured it was just bar
chatter.
But the comments added up after a while. It
wasn’t just a few people with this opinion. “Boise
Sucks,” came from every corner, every demographic within the LGBT community I could find.
It wasn’t until I sat down with a couple of individuals who discussed what life is like for members
of our community who choose not to go out to the
bars.
The words reflected back were still the same.
If you don’t fit into a specific age range, or demographic (typically male 21-35) you were an
outcast, and that there weren’t any resources
available, and very little interest to make anything
better.
It was at that point I realized that they, along
with everyone else, were right. I didn’t see anything available as a social outlet, let alone a place
where anyone felt like they belonged. Instead,
there was too much separation based on social
class or “title-holders.”
It shamed me to see that our community had so
much of a negative image of itself, let alone each
other.
So I set out to try to do something to fix the problem. I had been involved in a number of volunteer opportunities while I lived in Las Vegas. And
while they weren’t targeting the LGBT community,
it gave me some experience in what should be
done.
I set out to try to start a nonprofit organization
dedicated to the LGBT community. Our goals
were simple: Provide positive social activities,
opportunities for community service, and to help
discourage discrimination in our community.
I met with a number of community members,
involved in existing organizations, and was sarcastically met with “good luck.”
“It’s been done before,” I was told.
“There’s no need to reinvent the wheel...”
“No one will take you seriously,”
“It won’t work, people have tried and failed
before...”
These words hurt to hear, but helped me develop a better image of what was happening in the
community.
The biggest thing I saw in the community was a
lack of inspiration. And that many people were either disappointed, or felt abandoned. And I knew
something had to change.
So I set out to do something to change people’s
perspectives, and at least try to inspire them to do
better.
I began a page on Facebook called the Treasure Valley Unity Project. Immediately, I began
inviting every possible person I knew to take part
in discussions, and wrote every single day to try to
help inspire others to help things change.