Central Kentucky is known for cornfields, blue-ribbon sows, industrial sites, and tractor parades. In the summer, families sip sweet tea on the porch beneath lavender sunsets and watch the sun go down. Every fried chicken supper hits the spot, and cafes off the beaten path give patrons reason to sing karaoke and come alive with their kin. For those cut from the cloth of prior generations, central Kentucky provides the quintessential small-town experience-stay in church, graduate, go to work on the farm, marry young, own a home, build a family, repeat.

For the other ones, who desire an alternate route, dream beyond the fold, reject societal norms and hold progressive opinions, Mercer can be challenging. For a once closeted gay like Logan Lee, the tiny, conservative corner of his hometown presents an opportunity to transcend and forgive cultural expectations, and probe readers to be open-minded.

In his breakout memoir Small Town Gay, Lee shares his experience of reconciling his sexuality at a young age, with no like role models to look to for guidance. With a heart for education, he strives to be that example for the next generation, by inviting children, parents, and allies of the LGBTQ+ community to unify in the name of voice, tolerance, unconditional love, and above all things-home.