You wake up alone, storm a circle outside your window, youโve been dreaming about sheets of mushrooms again. Itโs best to nap through, wrap yourself in the sleeping bag your mother got you, coated in paint when you wanted to be an artist.
When we don't see images of queer travelers in a destination, we don't know whether that destination is LGBTQ friendly. When we don't know other queer people who hike, kayak, rock climb, backpack, etc., we sometimes hold ourselves back from taking part in these activities. Or we go on a backpacking trip but leave part of our LGBTQ+ identity behind, because we aren't sure if we can be fully ourselves in a mixed setting.
This year's LGBTQ writing contest theme, FIRSTS, is an opportunity to share your own queer travel adventurers with an LGBTQ audience. Your essay just might inspire someone to stretch their comfort zone and try a new activity!
Trapped in my little town, I wondered: what was a place I could truly go and feel safe?
That summer, the fields had become my dance floor, sunsets had replaced box sets, and getting lost was an invitation, not an insult. Iโd returned to the country of my birth, seeking solace and retreat. Now Iโd come home to myself. Iโd grown stronger, braver and bold.
The longlist for the 2022 LGBTQ essay contest is officially here! Meet the lucky writers who made it to the longlist and see contest demographic data.
Queer Adventurers is looking for 1,000 to 1,500 word personal essays on the theme of Shelter.
Specifically, we're looking to hear a first-person story that happened to you about a time you found shelter in the outdoors