Anti-trans and anti-queer legislation is on the rise across the country, and it's leading some queer families to leave homes they love. LGBTQIA folks want to be themselves in the world, and they need to know how much of themselves they can be when they travel. These new laws make LGBTQ+ safety an everyday issue by criminalizing our existences and stripping away choices we make to be ourselves.
The travel industry does LGBTQ travelers a disservice by focusing exclusively on safety when they market to us.By sharing data and anecdotes about our experiences, we can help the travel and hospitality industries do a better job of meeting us where we are instead of force-feeding us the same standard lines about safety.
This Pride Month, we're shining a light on the outdoor brands that support the queer community all year round, rather than those that come after our pink dollars only during June!
Looking for more websites like Queering the Map? Occasionally, I'll be profiling queer mapping projects that connect to nature and the outdoors and are created by us for us. The Kentucky queer history map caught my eye because it proved what rural queer folks know: LGBTQ lives may be thought of as urban first or urban only, but we're here, we're queer, and we're everywhereโincluding in red states like Kentucky.…
LGBTQ hikers will want to carry the basic ten essentials, the same as any other hiker. But there are a few extra considerations for queer hikers! As you pack your day pack for the trail, hereโs what to keep in mind about the ten hiking essentials from an LGBTQ perspective.ย