I already know what happens when you “try that in a small town”. I faced the bigotry, the rumors, the accusations that I was a drug dealer because I didn’t leave the house to drive to work in the morning, the assumption what I won the lottery because I had money, the legal accusations where I had to defend myself in court for frivolous actions of “wild sex parties” and “housing illegal immigrants”, the antisemitism, and the anonymous death threats. I was followed, filmed, and gossiped about for years. I survived the violence and our small town’s conspiracy to “take me out”. I spent years of what should have been my peak production career and family life recovering basic life skills instead. I’ve been there. I moved on. I survived this small town. I made it a better place for all of us and we’re not going back.
