Media: I've Been Shoved to the Ground for Being Gay. This Route 66 Food Hall Felt Like an Exhale.

For queer travelers, a road trip through small-town America can mean bracing for the worst at every stop. Mother Road Market in Tulsa is trying to be the exception.

My first time on Route 66 unfolded in Tulsa, where I was quickly enamored with the bright wash of neon and roadside attractions like the Golden Driller and the Blue Whale of Catoosa. It was easy to get swept up in the nostalgia and kitsch until I stopped for gas and heard men in camouflage using homophobic slurs.

As a gay traveler in a conservative state, I carried an undercurrent of unease. While I’ve encountered real warmth and affirming spaces, I’ve also felt the heavy press of a hand on my chest, shoving me to the ground. Yet even with a skinned knee and a bruised lip, and the wind literally and emotionally knocked out of my sails, I’ve never stopped searching for places that will welcome me as I am.  When it was time for lunch, I pulled into the parking lot of Mother Road Market and hoped for the best.

To read the full article, visit Allrecipes.com, here!