Growing up as a member of the LGBTQ community in a small town with a heavily conservative political lean, I have experienced, witnessed, and participated in several rhetorical situations in which my identity was at the forefront of political discussions and debate. These rhetorical situations in many ways have actually led to or guided both my own personal participation in and understanding civic life. Most recently, news has emerged that my hometown- the city of Solvang, California has rejected a request from the Santa Ynez Valley Pride organization, an organization that I am personally a part of which was formed in order to combat the rampant homophobia within our community- to display LGBTQ pride banners during the month of June, with the city council claiming that they do not want to push any political agendas or make anyone uncomfortable. Unfortunately, this has not been the first time this has happened- just last June, a group cut down, stole and recorded themselves burning pride flags while making comments claiming that this is the future of the LGBTQ community. Although they were later charged with hate crimes and petty theft, a large part of the community rallied around them, claiming that their charges violated their rights to freedom of speech, and villainizing the queer community by claiming that we took away these boy’s bright futures. Similarly, as a part of the “no place for hate” initiative, my high school GSA requested to paint the school crosswalks rainbow for a week. While the request was originally approved, the crosswalks were only allowed to stay up for a day, with administration publicly painting over the rainbow crosswalks during school hours after once again receiving backlash from the conservative members of the community. Only a few days ago, news of the less-than inclusive nature of Solvang, the “Danish Capital of America” reached international ears, when Solvang Mayor Mark Infanti received a letter from the Lord Mayor of Copenhagen, Denmark Sophie Hæstorp Andersen, urging Solvang to give its "full support" to the LGBTQ community. This situation highlights the ongoing struggle for LGBTQ equality within my community and the importance of representation and acceptance.
In her letter, Sophie Hæstorp Andersen addressed her audience, which is defined as s defined as “any person who hears, reads, or sees a symbolic action; the group targeted by a message, even if it is not present; or the group capable of acting in response to the message,” the Solvang City Council, and claimed that “This opposition to Pride does not reflect the genuine warmth and acceptance to Pride that can be seen across Denmark, and especially in Copenhagen” (Palczewski et al. 221). It is very clear from her letter that as a rhetor, Sophie Hæstorp Andersen is extremely experienced, paying mind to her public image, or her “verbal and visual representation, emphasizing particular qualities and characteristics, that creates a perception of the rhetor in the audience’s minds” as an organized and well intentioned public leader who denounces hate, while also strengthening her argument by utilizing ethos aspects of Toulmin's Model in order to support her claims. One example of this is her use of a qualifier, also known as “a statement indicating the strength conferred by the warrant” in which she recognizes the points the City Council made, specifically that Danish “tradition” was a part of their justification for rejecting the pride banner proposal, and then countered that argument, expressing that Denmark has had a long standing history of being a country accepting of the LGBTQ community (Palczewski et al. 127). She backed this up by using data, “the information on which the claim is based,” stating that since the 1970s, she said, Copenhagen has hosted Pride events, even referencing that they hosted WorldPride in 2021, which was the biggest pride celebration in the world  (Palczewski et al. 125).
 As a public advocate for the community in a country known for its kindness and acceptance, it is my personal belief that Sophie Hæstorp Andersen is an authority on this topic, in other words “the sources of evidence that are accepted or the people who are allowed to speak as experts in that sphere,” therefore, her support means a great deal to me and other underrepresented members of the LGBTQ community that she would utilize her rhetorical persona, “the ethos, roles, identity, and image a rhetor constructs and performs (or that others construct for a rhetor to perform) during a rhetorical act” in order to help us (Palczewski et al. 131-187). Sophie Hæstorp Andersen’s fight for the LGBTQ community centers around us being allowed to have rainbow flags, which are displays of pride and long standing symbols of the LGBTQ community’s hope and strength. This made me think about the Four Winds Graphic, an important rhetorical symbol to the Cherokee people, which we learned about in class. To me, the never ending nature of the four Winds Graphics connects to pride, in that it might be a never ending battle and struggle for acceptance, however our perseverance gives us strength, and our strength to keep fighting will slowly make the world a better and more loving place for future generations. 
Ultimately, I have learned that the LGBTQ community has long been subjected to discrimination and marginalization, and it is important to push for greater acceptance and representation. To achieve these outcomes, there are several very effective rhetorical strategies and personas that can be utilized, such as that of Sophie Hæstorp Andersen. All of this might come to involve highlighting the stories and experiences of LGBTQ people, putting a greater emphasis on the economic and social benefits of diversity specifically in schools, and appealing to shared values and ideals by not using hateful language against opposing groups. By raising awareness and advocating for change, this situation can encourage greater acceptance and inclusion in the community, something which is very important to me as a member of the community. Rhetoric is very important to civic life, without rhetoric, none of this progress in my hometown would have been possible.