10 Outdoor Brands That are LGBTQ-Friendly All Year Round

This Pride Month, we’re shining a light on the outdoor brands that are LGBTQ-friendly all year round, rather than those that come after our pink dollars only during June!

The 10 brands listed here have all taken action in direct support of LGBTQIA lives.

They go beyond Pride month merchandise and donate money directly to LGBTQ-led organizations. They’ve made statements of support on gay marriage and trans rights. They recognize the ways LGBTQ folks have historically been made to feel unwelcome and unsafe outdoors, and they’re working for change.

Some of these brands have legacies of supporting queer folks that stretch back over a decade!

Outdoor gear is expensive. So when we’re putting a good chunk of change down on needed equipment, why not support brands with track records of standing up for equality?

Want to keep up with the latest trends impacting LGBTQ outdoor recreation? Sign up for the email list.

1. Arc’teryx

Outdoors brand Arc’teryx supports the queer community in several ways. They’ve directly supported LGBTQ+ athletes and ambassadors, like climber Jordan Cannon.

In 2022, the company donated $50,000 to five LGBTQ+ organizations including:

• QuICK Climb Boston, a queer climbing group in Boston that’s trying to launch local gear libraries to make the sport more inclusive
• Get Out and Trek, which offers outdoor trips and education for queer people – sadly, they are no longer in existence!
• The Capital Pride Alliance, which organizes DC-area Pride events
• Supporting and Mentoring Youth Advocates and Leaders, a DC-area LGBTQ youth leadership training program
• Team DC, a DC-area organization that advocates for LGBTQ team sports participation

In 2021, they updated their restroom signs with inclusive language to make Arc’teryx a safer place to work for LGBTQ employees.

2. Brooks

Running shoe company brooks has been partnering with International Front Runners, a global network of LGBTQ+ running clubs, for the last 3 years. They’ve given support grants to five Front Runners chapters to help them improve their outreach.

In a statement announcing the partnership, Brooks CEO Jim Weber said he believes running is “the most inclusive sport ever known.”

Brooks has also sponsored LGBTQ outdoor adventurer Mikah Meyer, who runs across states that are LGBTQ unfriendly to raise awareness of queer issues.

3. Columbia Sportswear

Columbia Sportswear supported the movement to overturn the ban on gay marriage in Oregon in 2013. Later, the CEO joined the public protests around discriminatory hiring practices at a Catholic school that wanted to rescind a job offer when they realized a new hire was a lesbian. One dollar from every sale of the brand’s “Diversitree” line goes to support LGBTQ+ educational organization GLSEN.

Columbia owns these other outdoor brands you can feel good about supporting in Pride month and beyond:

• Mountain Hardwear
• SOREL
• prAna

4. Eddie Bauer

In a win for nonbinary athletes, Eddie Bauer quietly debuted gender-neutral clothing options earlier this year. Their gender free clothes are on the limited side and trend toward outerwear like sweatshirts and jackets. Some of the gender free pieces come from a recent collaboration with A$AP Rocky, who calls Eddie Bauer “an iconic brand with rich heritage” when speaking about the pocket collection.

5. Nike

Nike has received a perfect score on HRC’s Corporate Equality Index for 18 years. As times have changed, they’ve stayed at the forefront of advocating for LGBTQ equality and creating an inclusive workplace. That’s really something to celebrate.

2022 is the 10th year Nike has issued a Be True collection for the queer community. This collection is designed and managed by Nike designers who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community and the company’s PRIDE Network, an affiliation group for LGBTQIA employees.

Since 2017, the athletic wear company has donated $2.2 million to LGBTQIA causes. Converse, a Nike subsidiary, has given more than $1 million to queer causes since 2015.

In 2023, Nike partnered with trans TikToker Dylan Mulvaney on a campaign. In response to public backlash over the campaign, Nike stood up for Mulvaney and the broader transgender community.

6. REI

In a time of escalated anti-trans and anti-LGBTQ legislation, REI has made a public commitment to support trans people. But their track record of queer, trans and gender free allyship and inclusion stretches back years.

Each year, REI gives over $500,000 in donations to organizations working for LGBTQIA equality, including LGBTQ outdoor organization The Venture Out Project.

They’ve passed the mic to LGBTQ outdoor adventurers on their blog, a move that helps the broader outdoor community understand both the challenges LGBTQ people often face outdoors and the queer joy we find in connecting with nature. REI also sponsors the LGBTQ Outdoor Summit, which advocates for LGBTQ inclusion in the outdoors.

No wonder the outdoor brand is a longtime favorite of queer blog Autostraddle.

7. Under Armour

Under Armour is proof that progress is possible. This brand continued to sell Duck Dynasty merch after the show’s cast members went on a homophobic rant, literally raking in the dough from LGBTQ oppression. In 2016, the CEO endorsed Donald Trump, landing the company on progressives’ shit lists.

Now, they get a perfect score on the Corporate Equality Index from HRC. The bigoted CEO is gone, and his replacement tweeted in support of the SCOTUS decision affirming workplace equality for LGBTQ+ people.

We might not agree with everything Under Armour has done, but when we support brands that embrace equality (better late than never) we encourage better allyship.

8. North Face

North Face didn’t make this list when it was first created. But a recent Pride campaign featuring drag queen hiker Pattie Gonia was enough to put them on the updated version.

North Face also featured Pattie Gonia in a campaign in 2022, but the earlier version didn’t catch the ire of transphobes, apparently.

In a time when other brands are pulling products and ads in response to conservative outcry, North Face stood behind Pattie Gonia. In a statement, the clothing retailer said,

“The North Face has always believed the outdoors should be a welcoming, equitable and safe place for all. We are honored and grateful to support partners like Pattie Gonia who help make this vision a reality.”

Brands We’re on the Fence About 

Just as we want to support outdoor brands that are LGBTQ-friendly, we should know which outdoor brands have let us down. 

L.L. Bean

L.L. Bean got in hot water when the founder’s granddaughter, Linda Bean, donated $60,000 to Trump’s campaign. 

The company defended Bean’s actions and expressed disappointment in a consumer boycott resulting from Bean’s donation. 

L.L. Bean released a statement reading: 

“L.L.Bean does not endorse political candidates, take positions on political matters, or make political contributions. Simply put, we stay out of politics.” 

Given the backlash to LGBTQ rights and the demonstrated harm it causes queer people, brands that stay out of politics signal they don’t value the LGBTQ community or LGBTQ safety.

In terms of inclusivity, L.L. Bean is actually a pretty solid place to work. HRC rated L.L. Bean a 90/100 on the 2023 Corporate Equality Index, which compares the LGBTQ-inclusive benefits, policies, and behavior of big companies. 

Update: Now that Linda Bean has died, we’ll be taking a second look at LL Bean’s inclusivity commitment to see where they stand.

• 30/30 on workplace protections
• 25/30 on benefits with points deducted for differences in the medical and soft benefits offered to same-sex vs. opposite-sex domestic partners
• 35/40 on supporting inclusion and social responsibility given their disinterest in LGBTQ corporate social responsibility. 

Where they fall down is the social responsibility stuff. That’s taking a stand when communities and states pass oppressive laws that take us back to the don’t ask don’t tell era of discrimination and fear.

I’d much rather buy from outdoor brands that are LGBTQ-friendly than one that would rather say nothing in the face of injustice.

If you know a queer friendly brand that belongs on this list, please comment below. Keeping this LGBTQ shopping guide update helps us all find better deals and direct our money toward our allies!

Pin this list to save!