Help Make the “Rainbow House of Siloam” Happen!
Hi! My name is Michael Bennett-Spears and I live in Siloam Springs, AR with my husband Joe. My husband is a Siloam Springs native and we bought our dream home here in August of 2018.
We were wary, at first, of moving to an area known to be conservative and not known for being “friendly” to LGBTQ+ people. However, since moving here, we have had so many wonderful opportunities to lift up our fellow LGBTQ+ folks. We helped found Siloam Springs Pride in 2019. In 2020, I ran as the first gay man to ever run for the AR State House of Representatives in our district. This led to me now sitting as the NWA Chair of the Arkansas Stonewall Democrats, helping to bring the voice of LGBTQ+ people in our communities to state level policy. I also serve as the Chair and a Founding Member of The Equality Crew, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating safe spaces for LGBTQ+ youth and supporting them.
Long story short, in our house, we believe in fighting for our LGBTQ+ community and lifting it up in whatever way possible.
This is why it was devastating when we came home on August 14th to discover that our Progress Pride Flag had been stolen from our front porch. For a moment, my husband and I sat in silence processing this stark reminder that there is still so much work to do. But then it hit me…what if we established a sign of LGBTQ+ Pride that can’t be taken away by painting our home itself in Pride colors?
That thought led to this moment. It led to the idea of turning our dream home, a beautiful tall Victorian in the heart of Siloam Springs, into something that could stand as a reminder to LGBTQ+ people that they are not alone for years to come. Something that says, “We’re here and we aren’t going anywhere.”
It led to the idea of establishing the one and only Rainbow House of Siloam Springs!! A symbol of the beautiful diversity of our communities and signal to all that LGBTQ+ people will always stand up in unity with each other.
I want to say thank you, first, for taking the time to read this story. It is one that is very close to our hearts and we are so happy to share it with you. With your support of this fundraiser, we will create something that will achieve a lifelong dream of ours. It will help us to leave a mark on the world that says to our fellow LGBTQ+ family, “We will make our place in the world. Though there is always work to be done, someone will always be by your side to stand with you.”