Thank you! We appreciate you!

As someone in the “Community” there have been two people I idolized. Morgan Roddy and Laura Janney. Both women helped me in ways that helped me on my journey. I have never been to OUTreach. I have never volunteered or given money. I have promised to help, but I have never followed through. Laura picked me up when I was suicidal and took me to the ER. She sat with me for nine hours and checked on me after to make sure I was making my appointments. Her husband helped me move out of an apartment. They have never asked anything from me. I often sat in the Queer Chocolatier as a “safe place”. I idolized Morgan and her chatter. She helped build my confidence and made me more comfortable in my queerness. Her charisma is what draws people to her. I was always thankful for this space and the other people that also came in. I have not read anything that warrants this behavior from the “community”. There are vague accusations and what seems to be people hurt by gossip. I just don’t get the outrage. One of the things the queer community is known for is their gossip. There was so much of it in the Queer Chocolatier with Morgan being the center of it. That shop was small and no conversation was private. Honestly, I relished in it. I enjoyed every word of it. Somebody would leave and Morgan would have commentary. Some good and some bad. There was some tall guy with curly hair that spent a lot of money in the shop. He would come in and talk her ear off. Morgan would be irritated about the talking and claim his buying her chocolate was “performative”. Wanting to support a queer business did not make him an ally. Morgan was very vocal about all the people she did not like – mostly men, but her favorite people to disparage was the couple who run the vegan bakery. She made fun of their Facebook posts and any struggle they were open about. She claimed they hated queer businesses. I saw The Queer Chocolatier post their grant info to be “transparent” but I never heard anyone worr

TLDR: The three of us want a community that is growing and thriving. We hereby and forthwith DEMAND the following from Muncie Outreach and Moving Muncie Forward: -Both groups must mind their own business -Muncie Outreach needs to stop releasing vague statements and tell us what is really being done to grow -The Muncie OUTreach board of directors must work to improve the organization -Moving Muncie Forward needs to stop making rumors and speculation a priority for everyone -The people behind Moving Muncie Forward need to focus on their own exciting work without tearing other people and groups down If these demands are not met, everyone will just be worse off for it.

Chelsea McDonnell loves poetry. That’s really cool and she can grow too. Madelyn Heskett does glass art. That’s really cool and can grow too. Bobbi Cantrell smells nice. That’s really cool and they can grow too. Allison Thomas Snoddy and Melanie Jones go to BSU. That’s really cool and they can grow too. Emily Johnson does history at the bar. That’s really cool and she can grow too. The point is everyone has better stuff to do than make vague accusations and vague statements about the vague accusations.

Christopher Marshall shares some funny memes. That’s really cool and he can grow too. Jason White has an insurance business. That’s really cool and can grow too. Bethany Miller know the movie Hocus Pocus too well. That’s really cool and can grow too. Krista White rhymes with Crystal Light. That’s really cool and she can grow too. Patrick O’Neal performs as a drag king. That’s really cool and he can grow too (but maybe take a break from social media). Darlene Hollingsworth has excellent taste in books. That’s really cool and she can grow too. Jay A. Kibble looks nice when dressed up. That’s really cool and he can grow too.

That's really cool and can grow too. Beth McCollum wants to help people. That's really cool and she can grow too. Paige Brown does that street festival. That's really cool and she can grow too. Augusta Isley works at BSU. That's really cool and she can grow too. Kathryn Feeney is on the board at the Soup Kitchen. That's really cool and she can grow too. Charlize Jamieson helps with MPN. That's really cool and she can grow too. JM D’Angelo just helped a homeless person. That's really cool and can hopefully grow into a passion. Sally K. Jamieson is a very loyal person. That's really cool and she can grow too.

I wrote this with my friends. I agree with them. Nobody is perfect and there are a lot of people that will just never like each other. That doesn't change the fact that: Muncie Outreach does amazing things because there are amazing people making sure our youth have that safe space. It is our biggest and most important resource and the people who make that happen all care a lot about each other and the community. That being said EVERYONE AT OUTREACH has the opportunity to grow! Morgan Roddy has Queer Chocolatier. That's really cool and can grow too. Steven Knipp practically runs Rotary, Juneteenth, WIBU, the Soup Kitchen, and the Civic Theater and sometimes does hair on the side. That's really cool and can grow too. Curtis Dorgan does MPN. That's really cool and can grow too. Sam Atlas McCollum is working hard to go into social work. That's really cool and he can grow too. Ramiro Hernandez has all of that cake.

I am writing to say that I agree with my friend: We want to see the community grow an thrive. Everyone is human and we need to choose to be better than this. Muncie Outreach needs to grow and get better. Moving Muncie Forward is signed by people who do try and contribute in other ways. We ask that they focus on their own projects.

I am writing this with two other people and we have all at least attended events put together by Outreach. We appreciate what Muncie Outreach does and we want it to continue to grow. We think it is important that the organization listen to these concerns. We do not agree that this group is the right people for doing that. The concerns were brought together from a bunch of half-truths and rumors. People need to feel safe without that. We would like to ask that all parties involved step back from the situation. We ask that the board of Muncie OUTreach makes a better plan. We ask that the Moving Muncie Forward group figure out other ways to support people without tearing anything else down. There should be enough love in the community for everybody. Spreading hate isn't the way forward for our community.

We at Ball State Spectrum stand behind building better support for the LGBTQ youth of Muncie

No, I am actually not mad at Laura at all. I have seen the toxic behavior though and how it has impacted the LGBTQ+ community in Muncie. I am a LCSW in the mental health field. I can see when a spade is a spade. I can see when issues are there and want an organization to have better leadership. Stronger leadership, that will help all members of the queer community. Not laugh at people, talk behind their backs, and many other very real things that have occurred with this one person, but no I actually don't find myself mad at Laura. I honestly don't think about Laura at all. I think about an organization and how typically a non-profit LGBTQ+ organization is run. I've been in several in various areas and this is not what they look like. Leadership is not tearing down people in any part of the community.

You're mad at Laura because you didn't know when Curtis meets with his separate group that he runs?

I volunteered for a couple of events with Muncie OUTreach and only have nice things to say about the volunteers. That being said nobody is perfect. This petition is a lot of hurt people. Just because you are hurt doesn't mean you are right about what the problem is. Just because you are hurt doesn't mean that you need to do something. Not everything is a good decision. Especially not when it is made out of hurt. Maybe the people behind this should put more thought into what they really want out of this. Being hurt by how a whole community behaves and pinning it on one person just isn't right. Maybe some of you should resolve some of your own demons before you go out and make decisions for everyone else.

Personally had information shared in confidence with leadership brought up publicly. So have others I know. There’s a reason hardly anyone goes to finding spirit anymore.

I'm signing this petition because I want to join the countless others who have signed this petition who literally have never had anything to do with Muncie OUTreach! I've had over 100 careers in my life and now I'm going to add keyboard warrior to the list!

This isn't good enough. The people need to see where ALL of your funds went, not just the grant funds. Queer chocolatier BELONGS to the Muncie Queer Community, not just FOR the Queer community. I've been a business executive so maybe I can give you some advice. I've also been a detective so I WILL get to the bottom of this!

This isn't his "mother-in-law". In fact, he rather liked LJ for many years until he started also recognizing what certain toxic behaviors actually meant in the real world, such as owning numerous anti-black memorabilia in their home. People can formulate opinions later as they gather more insight into issues. They can see an entire picture and go oh, I hope this person gets some help for some of these problematic mentalities.

No, probably nothing did have to do with Laura. This doesn't mean the opinion wasn't formed in some part by conversations with this individual. That at that time Mel's opinion may have been influenced by being told things about these individuals that were not true. We can form opinions because we have trusted people that we learn lied to us. I can recall growing up hating certain types of people because my parental unit told me lies about certain types of people, but once I stepped into the real world I understood they were lies to make me have a certain opinion and to keep me where that person wanted me. This is very similar. Someone helped form Mel's opinion and now she sees things differently because she acquired new information that changed her outlook. Speaking on changing opinions on things, I remember being told that Curtis ran a luncheon. Literally, from LJ this is what I was told. I never attended his Muncie Pride Network when I still resided in Muncie because I was told this. I discovered later (like less than like a month ago), it wasn't the truth. I could have participated in this group if I hadn't been lied to. That choice was influenced and in some ways taken away from me because of someone else. That is wrong no matter how you look at it.

People talk. That is life. People have opinions that ebb and flow that can change based on newly acquired information. Sometimes people find out someone was lying to them, keeping secrets, or withholding information to create and spin their own narrative. In many ways, this is what it is appearing happened to numerous people in main roles within MO. Not just one main individual but a plethora of people. When I started understanding what was going on, it was a who's who of community leaders of the LGBTQ+ community and I haven't existed in the Muncie one for years and still knew these names and now they are speaking up about issues. These are professional individuals who I trust explicitly. One of which is the only reason I am actually alive today and they don't know that, they diagnosed my autoimmune disease and that has kept me on the planet. I have interacted with these individuals and seen their hearts and they are so pure and wanting legitimately good things for Muncie. I know this will probably fall on deaf ears, but live life in kindness because you definitely are not at this time. My last thing I want to say to you anonymous friend, Morgan Roddy (who I only have met a limited number of times) doesn't, as a business owner, owe you any receipts. She ran a business. If she spent the money she earned on pink tutus and marmalade jam, it wouldn't be your business. If she used it on absolutely anything, it was hers to do with. The business was hers to do with what she wanted and the fact you feel you deserve to know shows a critical lack of awareness that she was running a business. Do you think the owner of McDonalds owes you were his spends that money? Queer Choclatier was hers, even though she allowed it to be in the community and for it, didn't give anyone else ownership in it. Stop attacking and think why would almost every single former leader of MO now be on the opposite side of the equation.

It doesn't exist. I can meet you to show you the bank statements in person if you prefer but I'm still happy to post them for full transparency as you believe I owe the community an explanation.

grow up nobody likes their mother in law