MACON, Ga. — October is LGBTQ History Month and to celebrate, the Historic Macon Foundation launched a video series that takes a deeper look at Macon's own LGBTQ community.
Every Thursday this month, host Elliot Fernandez sits down with a Central Georgian to hear their perspective on Macon's growth and events like Macon PRIDE and the legalization of gay marriage.
The series was funded by a Downtown Challenge Grant from the Community Foundation of Central Georgia.
"It's been such a beautiful opportunity to showcase just a sliver of these stories," says Fernandez. "These are the stories that exist in our community. These are the people that exist in our community... I just find it a way to bring more opportunities for acceptance, more opportunities for understanding."
Five members of the Macon community are featured in the series, including Cary Pickard, Yvonne Miller, Demarcus Beckham, Jim Crisp, and Tangerine Summers.
Each interviewee has made a lasting impression in Macon's LGBTQ community.
Fernandez and director Rachelle Wilson hope the series opens minds and hearts while preserving pieces of community history through oral storytelling.
"These histories are going to live on forever now because we have this docu-series," says Wilson. "We really wanted to expand the narrative of what Macon's history is... There's so much history and beauty from Macon's past that isn't really a part of the main narrative."
The last installment in the series will air on Historic Macon's Facebook page next Thursday at 12 pm.
Additionally, the foundation is working with the Grand Opera House to host a live screening of all five interviews with an Q&A on November 12.