Driving along historic Route 66 in Edwardsville, Illinois, I heard the honking before I saw the crowd.

At first, all I could make out were American flags waving in the town square. As a solo queer female traveler passing through a city of about 26,000 people, I kept my guard up.

Then I spotted a sign. "Proud LGBTQ Mom, Proud Ally." Other signs called for protecting democracy and fighting…