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Larry Dillon sat by a window at the new Pride resource center on Saturday filling out a message for a 10-year time capsule. He reflected on how much has changed for LGBTQIA+ individuals in Battle Creek. “More and more people are not afraid to display the fact they are LGBT,” Dillon said. “In my day, I had to hide who I was in order to keep my job.” In 2010, Dillon noticed a need for LGBTQIA+ unity in Battle Creek. He gathered his friends for dinner. “It ended up 26 of us got together,” Dillon said. “There were ministers, there were men, women, businessmen, so forth. All of whom in those days were pretty much in the closet.” ....
For instance, the 20-year-old marvels at heavy snow in Illinois and enjoys family gatherings at Thanksgiving. And she especially gets a kick out of how Americans celebrate the birthdays of their pets. “I have dogs back in Ireland,” a smiling Murphy says in the brogue of her homeland. “But I don’t know their birthdays.” Such random tidbits are part of the bonus education she has gleaned in Peoria, where 3,759 miles from home she attends Bradley University. It’s a team effort, as she has the assistance of two scholarships one from the school, the other the first from Peoria’s Sister City Commission plus donations from the Peoria-based Friends of Clonmel. ....