Building LGBTQ+ community in the Four Corners region under the current presidential administration
In the rural Four Corners region — where Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico meet — Eric Dominguez is creating essential safe spaces for the LGBTQ+ community. As the founder of Alphabet Mafia Presents, a social group dedicated to queer inclusion, and Recovery Queers, a support network for LGBTQ+ individuals in recovery, Dominguez has become a vital advocate for queer visibility and safety in small-town America.
While Dominguez grew up in the area, he had left and only recently returned.
“I moved back here to the Four Corners because I was struggling with my addiction,” Dominguez wrote in a bio. “I grew up here hiding my authentic self, and I didn’t see many queer spaces in Farmington [New Mexico] when I came back. I was used to having all the Queer resources and events that big cities like San Francisco provide. So, my gut reaction was to go back into the closet.”
This set Dominguez into a depression, he said.
“I thought if I was feeling this way, others must be too. So I decided to connect to the Queer community and create space for others to connect and celebrate their queerness,” he wrote. “I believe if we all work together to create safe spaces in smaller communities like ours, we don’t have to leave our families and homes to find acceptance in bigger cities.”
Following the 2024 election, Dominguez and his collaborators — Sasha’s Rainbow of Hope and Recovery Queers — organized a Queer Town Hall in Farmington, N.M. The event, attended by the city’s LGBTQ police liaison, provided a space for community members to voice concerns about a second Trump presidency. The need for the forum became evident after a local barbershop incident, where a queer individual overheard Trump supporters discussing their eagerness to see LGBTQ+ rights erased.
“That conversation brought up a lot of fear for what could happen in our small conservative community,” Dominguez told Sebastian Fortino at the Washington Blade.
The response from local queer residents was swift and emotional. On social media, people expressed fears about their safety, parents worried about their trans children, and some even contemplated leaving the country. Dominguez, despite his concerns, remains focused on strengthening local support systems.
His next initiative, The Gay Agenda Four Corners, will launch soon — offering a website, social media pages, and a weekly newsletter to promote LGBTQ+ events and resources across the region. “Existing as a queer person in small rural communities has influenced change,” he said. “I can focus on fear — or I can step outside my comfort zone, interact with people with different beliefs, and grow together as a community.”
While national policies like Project 2025 cause alarm, Dominguez finds hope in grassroots efforts.
“Conservative friends have told me they think God sent me here to bring our community together,” he said. “I know that’s not the experience in every small town, but here, we’re finding ways to come together.”
New Mexico, in particular, has passed laws making it one of the safest states for LGBTQ+ individuals, with groups like Equality New Mexico advocating for sanctuary protections. And despite the challenges, Dominguez remains committed to building resilience through community. “The only way I’ll make it through the next four years is by finding support in the people around me,” he said.
With his unwavering dedication, Dominguez is proving that even in the most conservative corners of the country, LGBTQ+ people can thrive — not just survive.
