In the opening episode of the season featuring LGBTQ+ Americans we meet Ashley Peterson, from Cashmere—a town that calls itself the "heart of Washington." Ashley started her activism in high school, as a member of the first Gay-Straight Alliance in Leavenworth. Throughout the years, Ashley has made it a goal to provide a safe space for the community to ask questions and have hard conversations without a fear of being judged. Ashley discusses the need for queer accepting spaces, visibility, political action, and how to normalize queerness in conservative communities.