Out on the Town: GLBT Magazine Brings New Voice to Ozarks

(Springfield, MO) -- This week, a California appeals court overturned the ban on same-sex marriage in that state; it's a victory for those in the gay and lesbian community.

One man is hoping to highlight the cause locally by distributing a small magazine Out on the Town.

It's one of the first gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender -- or GLBT -- magazines in the Ozarks. The goal of this magazine is to give the gay, lesbian and bi-gender communities a voice they didn't feel they had.

How will this magazine fly in the Bible belt? Only time will tell. While some believe gay couples deserve the same legal rights as every couple in this country, the opposition to it is just as strong.

"A lot of people would be just so happy if we moved to California, or New York, or weren't on the map at all," says Mike Halterman who launched Out on the Town magazine in September 2010, after finding there were no locally-produced GLBT magazines in this area.

"Looking at my home bar and realizing there were magazines from New Orleans, Atlanta, Dallas -- nothing local and I wanted something for the community that was made for us by us."

He says everywhere you go, the GLBT community may be hidden or stigmatized in a certain way, and local pastors agree.

"There are a lot of people in the Springfield area and the greater Ozarks area who think that being gay or lesbian is wrong, sinful -- those kinds of things," says Reverend Dr. Phil Snider. "They're going to view this magazine as being an outlet for what they view as inappropriate kinds of orientation."

Halterman wanted to create a magazine that includes places and people that are GLBT friendly.

"And make them go 'oh wow, I really need to patronize this business. I really need to look up this person.'"

Matt Lee works at KORE Fashion and Gallery and he plans to put the magazine out to his customers.

"I think it's great," he says. "It's going to spread awareness to the GLBT community which doesn't get a lot of attention in Springfield."

He says the GLBT community is overlooked in the Ozarks and thinks this magazine will help.

"It's great that someone's willing to step forward in an area that's so conservative."

And while this magazine might be controversial, the fact that it exists isn't really that shocking.

"I mean, it's certainly a large population area here and so it's to be expected," says Rev. Snider.

And while there will be a variety of perspectives, "there are churches that still discriminate towards those who are gay and lesbian. There are those churches who view that as a form of prejudice," says Rev. Snider. He says there will never be uniformity on the matter. "But we are called to extend unconditional love and care to other human beings and that's important in anything we can do as people and as people of faith."

Halterman says people often approach him and wish him success with the magazine.

"And I go 'well, I wish the magazine could be thicker. I wish we could have some more content,' and they're like, 'we're just happy that something like this is available.'"