It was ten years ago yesterday that The New York Times ran the article, “My Sister’s Keeper,” about the Alapine commune in northern Alabama. The commune was founded in 1997 by feminist lesbians. Though the article seems oddly placed in the Fashion & Style section, it serves as a reminder about the ongoing nature of and multiple forms taken by the struggle for LGBTQ+ rights in the South, where a reported 35% of LGBTQ+ people live.

To learn more about the LGBTQ+ community in Alabama, you can also look at this fact sheet from the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.