LANCASTER, Ohio – Ben Jodway reports on the LGBTQ+ community in rural Ohio for the Buckeye Flame, a nonprofit newsroom dedicated to representing the voices of LGBTQ+ Ohioans. In this piece, he reveals that a recent conservative boycott in the small town of Lancaster, Ohio, is just part of increasing division in the community. Ben’s story not only provided exposure for the issues an underrepresented community in a rural area is facing, but highlighted local businesses and their solutions to the problem. He said the piece got a great response and was widely shared, especially on Instagram. Readers even visited Lancaster specifically to shop at the businesses he profiled.

Ben Jodway is a Report For America corps member covering LGBTQ+ Ohioans living in rural communities for the The Buckeye Flame in Ohio.