Historically known as the first United States territory to legalize same-sex marriage, and where couples from Asia-Pacific have flocked to make their vows, Guam is no doubt shines as being a place that’s accepting and all-inclusive. But, has enough been done to show strong support for the many here in the LGBTQ community?

LGBTQ travelers will appreciate guam’s many different offerings such as the alluring, crystal clear beaches, luxurious spas, rich culture and history, delectable cuisine, tax-free shopping, and a myriad of adventures. This, according to local tourism officials who promote the territory for its friendly and accepting community.

And, for those who call the island home, like Edward Acfalle Jr., he says he feels the love and support. "I think that we’ve been sort of – how do I express this – we have great representation in politics right now. We’ve had ever since, maybe some of them were in the closet, I don’t know. All that I know is we are noticing a lot of prominent, political figures," he said.

Acfalle, a gay man and recent UOG grad, says he plans to one day be an educator and a writer. He shares the plus side, saying, "I think, quite frankly, queer politicians, out queer people, who are in politics and out doing the work are doing the representation for us rather than our straight counterparts."

Along with a specific need in the local community that’s still lacking. "I do believe that we don’t have adequate support as much for our transyouth and transpeople," he shared.

While Acfalle highlights the change he see’s in Guam’s leaders, Tamuning resident Marcel Palomo says, "I’ve actually been in the military and I’ve traveled all around the world. And what I can say is the way the gay community is represented here is almost non-existent. I feel like there are things that we can do as a community, as an island, as leaders to help either promote or expand what we currently have."

Palomo, also a gay man, admits he’s not sure what that expansion would look like. He’s leaving that up to the people who want to be elected to lead Guam. "I do want them to do better," he said.

Other issues he feels is in need of attention from leaders: the condition of the roads. "I am actually from the south and the roads down south are still as bad as they were 20 years ago. Yes, they have done some patches and some reconstruction but not as much. And when tourist come here, I do see a lot of them venture to the south and it almost gives the vibe that the south is not as important as Tumon is or Dededo or Yigo," he said.

He’s also tired of hearing how leaders say education is a priority, but he feels they rarely show results.

He said, "If we are harping and focusing on education, I just hope they put more power into pushing education forward because we’re not dumb people. I know that we are on a rock, but I know that there are many, brilliant minds out there that have great ideas, but I think they just need the tools to help them get there."