SALEM, Va. (AP) — René Harvey and her wife arrived at a Roanoke Valley pride celebration in October carrying deep-seated worries about all that could go wrong.

The couple had been to the region's annual pride festival before, but this year felt different. Harvey keeps up with the news, and the headlines describing political violence and LGBTQ+ hate linger with her. She's been following Virginia's statewide elections, including a race for governor that has heavily focused on trans youth.

“It's scary, the way things are heading,” said Harvey, sitting at a booth for her LGBTQ-friendly parish. “We had a fear coming here today.”

It turns out Harvey had nothing to worry about. The festival was peaceful, even celebratory. Her interactions with residents in the area were friendly. Festival-goer

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