Paper Title
Gender Expression in Rural and Urban Settings in the United States

Abstract
Abstract - Different regions of the United States have recently recognized and developed policies to better define a variety of genders beyond male and female. Theories suggest gender is expressed through dress as an important component of the development of identity. The purpose this research was to examine how rural and urban LGBTQIA+ individuals use dress to express identity. Qualitative open-ended interviews were completed with a convenience sample of rural and urban LGBTQIA+ individuals. Analysis of themes revealed urban and rural participants varied in their use of dress to express gender. This study contributes to theory and it has practical implications on developing policy. Keywords - LGBTQIA+, Gender Identity, Dress, Rural, Urban