In Durango, Colorado, with their face painted bright green and a bevy of wigs to rotate through, drag queen Aria PettyOne knows they can make a big difference.

"There are so many queer people in this town and I think a lot of the times they feel like they do have to hide, or they have to only do things with their friends or small groups,” said PettyOne, whose real name is Jake Riggs. “I want people to know that you can be loud and be proud and be queer. You can be queer as hell in this small town. And you can find a community.”

Read more in our latest Colorado Voices story, produced by students from Fort Lewis College: https://www.rmpbs.org/blogs/rocky-mou...