Friends can be as close as family. In rural Alabama, two people who needed support managed to find each other. Fred is a gay male pastor. Gwen is a bisexual Latina activist. When a touch anti-immigration law passed in Alabama three years ago, they found themselves relying on each other.

Ashley Cleek is a radio reporter and producer living in Birmingham, Alabama. Before moving down South, Ashley reported stories in Turkey, Ukraine, India, and Russia for American, German and British radio.  Her stories have appeared on radio shows like The World and Marketplace and on websites like PBS’s Tehran  Bureau, Global Post, and the Atlantic.