In a town of less than 700, one teen’s Discord group aims to connect rural LGBTQ+ youth
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EADS, Colo. — In a town so small it doesn’t use stoplights, Echo Richards, who identifies as queer, fills the quiet with poetry, theatre, and cosplay.
Eads, an Eastern Plains town with a population of about 650 people with a town hall, one hospital and a single school, has no local resources for LGBTQ+ teenagers like Richards.
Richards, 17, started using the first name Echo in the summer of 2024 when they became more open about their gender identity. Although not yet their legal name, they plan to make it official when they turn 19. Growing up in a place where they said, "everyone knows everyone," they came out as queer to their family in elementary school.
“When I was looking for names for an OC, which means original character, from the show ‘My Hero Academia,’ I saw the name “Echo” and it stuck with me,” Echo said.
“The character I created has social anxiety like I do,” they said. “It’s very outgoing and just trying to make everybody feel comfortable.”
Richards uses they/them pronouns and transitioned to homeschooling in the seventh grade because they felt a lack of acceptance of their identity at their school.
A survey from the Colorado Health Institute found that LGBTQ+ Coloradans are just as likely to live in rural areas as in cities — nearly one in ten for both types of places with 8.8% of residents identifying as LGBTQ+ in urban areas and 9.3% in rural areas. There aren’t solid numbers on how many LGBTQ+ youth live on the Eastern Plains, but Richards wants them to know there’s at least one.
In September, they created a Discord group called The Unstoppables to provide a safe space for teens in rural areas of the Eastern Plains region. Discord is a communication app where people can join communities, called servers, to chat via text, voice or livestream video. Many servers are private and require a specific invitation link to join.
This conversation has been edited for length and clarity.
Rocky Mountain PBS: How did it feel growing up in Eads as a queer person?
Echo Richards: Nobody knew about it. When I came out, I was very scared. But as I started to grow older and get more comfortable with who I am, I have realized that it’s not going to change. If people didn’t like it, then they didn’t need to be in my life. Gender identity isn’t taught. You don’t choose to be born that way.
RMPBS: When you came out as queer, how did your school react? Did they respect your preferred pronouns: they/them?
ER: No, they completely ignored and disrespected it. They didn’t use my pronouns for me. They didn’t even let me write down my preferred name on papers.
Editor's note: According to Kiowa County School District RE-1 in Eads, the district’s policy on gender identity follows all applicable laws and state requirements. In Colorado, schools are required to use a student’s preferred pronouns or it is a violation of the Colorado Anti-discrimination Act. Glenn Smith, Kiowa County School superintendent, said that over the past two years the district’s accountability committee has worked hard to update school board policies using the guidance of the Colorado Association of School Boards.
RMPBS: Do you think people understand your queer identity?
ER: I am gender fluid. For me, it means my gender identity switches from time to time. Like one day, I might feel like a girl and the next, I will feel like a boy or nothing at all. I don’t think people understand that. They call me ‘she’ because that's easier for them and it’s crippling to argue how I identify as.
RMPBS: Do you think living in a small town where people do not understand your gender identity has impacted your mental health?
ER: For me, it has impacted my mental health because people didn't really understand, so I would be bullied a lot. Kids used to always talk behind my back and I knew about it because my brother went to the same school and he was really popular, so he would always overhear them talking about me. They would say stuff like, ‘it’s gross,’ about me being queer. My brother always stood up for me.
I tried giving signs to the teachers to show that it was affecting my mental health.
Usually, I would sit alone and avoid other people. I wouldn’t eat. And I wouldn’t like to talk at all. Sometimes, I even scratched my arms because of anxiety. They just completely ignored it.
I transitioned to homeschooling in the seventh grade because that was when I just couldn’t do it anymore. I told my mom. She tried getting the school to learn about that stuff and she even made a whole slideshow, so they learn. But they just completely ignored it and that’s when she snapped.
RMPBS: Were you able to connect with more queer kids when you went into homeschooling? Did that help or hurt with the isolation since you were alone?
ER: It honestly helped because I found some queer kids and it made me feel so much better. We usually have online live lessons and even clubs. The other kids were from all over Colorado. It felt really nice and just amazing because I didn’t feel as alone. We would call each other sometimes and vent to each other about random things.
RMPBS: What are some hobbies that you picked up while being homeschooled?
ER: Drawing. Sometimes I cosplay. I also have been book writing and writing poems. There is this app called Give Us The Floor for queer teens for different states. They had a thing where you send them a poem or something like that, which is what I did and you could win a trip to Meow Wolf in Denver. Surprisingly, I actually won that trip. I went with my mom, my brother and my best friend. It was so fun. I walked around seeing all the interactive art. It inspired me to do more abstract art and art that regular people would think is disturbing or weird, but for others it would comfort them.
RMPBS: Where are your friends? Are they in Eads or further out?
ER: I have one in Wiley and another friend in Rocky Ford. We have met up many times. We are in a drama group together in Lamar. I’m a big theatre kid. We do shows. The last show that I was in was… gosh, I can’t remember what it was, but it was with Dorothy. I was the wicked witch. “Wizard of Oz,” there we go.
When I meet up with my friends, we have to plan it a lot because we’re in different towns. But usually when we do meet up, we are meeting up for, like, sleepovers and stuff. We’ve been friends for a while, but every time we hang out, I just can’t really believe that I finally have friends that feel like family.
RMPBS: You posted on a Facebook group about creating a community for queer teens like you in the area. What was the response you received?
ER: My intention with that post was to help teens like me find a safe place. Some of the people were supportive of it and wanted to help. And then others replied to those people who wanted to help saying that they're being child groomers. They even tried to say it was against God. I tried to prove them wrong because a lot of them said that it was in the Bible that man can't sleep with another man, but really, it just says that man can't sleep with a boy, which refers to predators and pedophelia. Also, the Bible was written so long ago and it has been re-written so many people could have changed what it said.
RMPBS: So you decided to create a group and community on Discord in September. Tell me about why you did that and how it is going now.
ER: I did that because I know a lot of teens don't have Facebook. The discord group is a safe place where queer teens in the area can talk because it’s really hard. My mom is one of the admins there, so we can plan a group meet-up. They can give their parents’ phone numbers to my mom, so we can figure out meet-ups.
RMPBS: How many people are in the Discord group?
ER: I think about 10. They are all from the Eastern Plains.
RMPBS: How did it feel when you saw people joining the group?
ER: It felt amazing. It made me realize that I can actually get through things and go places if I try hard enough. And knowing I am helping teens like me to feel safer and not as alone, it’s really nice.
RMPBS: What about those that want to join the discord group, but are scared about being out about their gender or sexuality and they want anonymity in the discord. Like, is there a way that you keep that secure?
ER: I was trying to make it so the name is discreet and if they want to join, they don’t have to share their identity. So far, it’s just been new people in the group saying “hi.”
RMPBS: What are your future plans for the discord?
ER: I'm hoping that we can get the group for like meetups and even trips.
RMPBS: In the future, do you plan on staying in your hometown, Eads?
ER: I am going to plan on moving somewhere to the big city when I have enough money. Hopefully, I am going to get enough money when I move into that apartment to get an RV and just travel the country and write books. I am hoping to write books for queer teens, especially since it really affects your mental health.
Type of story: News
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. To read more about why you can trust the journalism of Rocky Mountain PBS, please visit our editorial standards and practices page.
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. To read more about why you can trust the journalism of Rocky Mountain PBS, please visit our editorial standards and practices page.