LITTLE ROCK, Ark. — Arkansas's LGBTQ+ history month is soon coming to a close.
While pride is celebrated across the state, Out Leadership, a group that tracks LGBTQ+ equality nationwide, ranks Arkansas at the bottom of its list.
"My heart sinks," Miss Gay Arkansas American Vanessa Rayne said. "To say I'm not surprised is exactly what I feel."
Darren Martin is also known in drag as Vanessa Rayne, the current reigning Miss Gay Arkansas America 2023.
"I came out at a very young age," Rayne said. "I was out and about since sixth grade."
Confidence and acceptance from her family came quickly, but Rayne said community was hard to find in the Natural State.
"I never felt welcome, and I swore I would never be back to this place," Rayne said. "There was never a community for me."
Out Leadership's annual index ranks each state for how LGBTQ+ people experience living, working and building a family. This year, Arkansas received a score of 32 out of 100, the lowest score in the country.
"I personally don't think it ranks last because it is bad," Rayne said. "I think it ranks last because it is not progressively moving forward at the same rate as other states."
The ACLU of Arkansas agreed with that sentiment as the group pointed specifically to state laws, many passed during the 2023 legislative session.
Act 317, better known as the "bathroom bill," requires public school students to use restrooms and locker rooms according to their sex assigned at birth."
Additionally, Act 274 deals with minor gender-affirming care and malpractice lawsuits, while Act 542 requires teachers to address students by their birth pronouns unless there's written consent from a parent.
Proponents of these laws have said they protect students, children and free speech, respectively.
Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders' office issued a statement regarding the state's ranking:
"In less than a year in office, Governor Sanders has cut taxes twice, raised starting teacher pay from $36,000 to $50,000, cracked down on crime through the Protect Act, invested in the outdoor economy, and that is just the beginning. The Governor's policies are why we reached record low unemployment earlier this year, why more Arkansans are working than ever before, and why thousands are moving into Arkansas from out-of-state."
ACLU Arkansas said state officials need to take the rankings more seriously rather than pass legislation that "disregards the rights to LGBTQ+ Arkansans."
"It's past time for our state's leadership to look at these numbers, listen to the Arkansans affected and work toward an Arkansas where everyone can thrive, free from discrimination," ACLU Arkansas said. "We believe in an Arkansas for all, and we won't stop fighting to make that belief a reality."
For Rayne, she's focused on equality and acceptance.
"Arkansas can move forward by always approaching everything with love first," Rayne said. "That does not mean that I have to agree with it, but it does mean that I have to coexist with it."
And she believes her visibility is already making a difference.
"Living my truth is allowing somebody else to live their truth," Rayne said. "Sometimes a superhero doesn't wear a cape, sometimes they wear long hair and a crown, and that is what pride is to me, being authentically true to yourself and living your life."
Rayne encourages those who are a part of the LGBTQ+ community to reach out to local organizations that work to support them.