Bringing Pride Outside: LGBTQIA+ Voices in the Outdoors

June 10, 2025June 11, 2025Outdoor Adventure, Stories Kelly Knauf

At Outdoor Prolink, we believe Pride is about visibility, celebration, and community—and that includes the outdoor industry too. Acting on that value, we asked our team, pros, and followers to shout out the LGBTQIA+ creators and organizations they love who are bringing Pride outside. This list is built from those contributions, and we’re honored to help introduce and amplify these voices as part of a shared effort to make the outdoors more welcoming for all.

Creators

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Author: Kelly Knauf

@abbygoesoutdoors

Abby Crisostomo (@abbygoesoutdoors) is a snowboarder, photographer, and advocate for equity in mountain sports. As a co-founder of Unlikely Riders, she works to create inclusive and joyful spaces for BIPOC individuals in skiing, snowboarding, and mountain biking. With deep experience in backcountry travel and community leadership, she is dedicated to expanding access to outdoor recreation through education, gear distribution, and empowering BIPOC outdoor leaders. Recognized for her impact, she is a recipient of the First Tracks Award from the Vermont Ski and Snowboard Hall of Fame. When not leading programs or securing funding for Unlikely Riders, she can be found chasing deep snow across the world.

@blake_is_climbing

Blake (@blake_is_climbing) is a climbing instructor and actively leads climbing routes, camps, and workshops, often tagged by Ascent Outdoors as a trusted instructor responsible for keeping climbers safe and helping them improve. This includes Climb with Pride, an opportunity to climb, learn, and explore the great outdoors with other queer climbers.

@iamjustinyoder

Justin (@iamjustinyoder) leads the charge in celebrating LGBTQ+ presence in nature as the founder of the LGBTQ Outdoors nonprofit and the host of its podcast. Through storytelling and advocacy, he actively creates space for queer visibility and community in outdoor adventures.

@jennybruso

Jenny (@jennybruso) is a writer, speaker, and outdoor advocate who founded @unlikelyhikers, a nationwide hiking community that centers queer, fat, BIPOC, and disabled adventurers. As a queer, neurodivergent, and body-liberation advocate, Jenny challenges conventional narratives in the outdoor industry and makes nature more inclusive for all.

@pattiegonia

Pattie Gonia is a pioneering environmentalist, drag performer, and LGBTQ+ advocate making nature more inclusive and vibrant. As a drag persona born out of a love for the outdoors, famously hiking in heels, Pattie blends performance art and environmental activism to challenge the notion that nature is for a narrow demographic.

@sheafreedommusic

Shea Freedom harnesses both music and education to uplift trans and foster youth voices, leading with creativity, resilience, and celebration of queer, BIPOC, and gender-diverse identities on stage and in spaces across the world.

@thegaycamper

Learn more about the LGBTQIA+ creators and organizations who are making the outdoors a more inclusive space for all. — Photo credit: @thegaycamper

Justin Bickley (@thegaycamper) is an ACA Level 4 Packraft Instructor, Executive Sidekick at AK Packraft School, and LGBTQ Outdoors Partnerships Coordinator. As a leader in LGBTQ outdoor spaces, especially queer camping, packrafting, and RV adventures, he uses his gear knowledge, festival participation, and organizational role to create inclusive, affirming environments for queer outdoor enthusiasts.

@vasu_sojitra

Vasu Sojitra (@vasu_sojitra) is a professional adaptive athlete, disability access strategist, and advocate for intersectional inclusion in the outdoors. Vasu blends athleticism with activism—centering disability, racial, and LGBTQ+ equity in outdoor recreation. His work redefines who belongs in the outdoors by building access, representation, and joy into every trail and turn.

@ventureoutjosh

Josh McNabb (@ventureoutjosh) is an outdoor guide, storyteller, and community leader based in Colorado. Josh shares his adventures across social media and whether he’s casting a line or leading a group trek, he’s helping build joyful, affirming spaces where LGBTQ+ folks can thrive in the outdoors.

@wheretheroadforks__

Kristin Holden (@wheretheroadforks__) is a full-time van-dwelling nomad and co-founder of Camp Pride_Colorado. With over six years on the road, she champions LGBTQ+ visibility and community in the nomadic lifestyle through initiatives like Camp Pride and Vanlife Pride events across the U.S.

@davidgleisner

David Gleisner (@davidgleisner) is the social media strategist at Outside Run and a lifelong runner turned thru-hiker. After covering the Pacific Crest Trail as Backpacker Magazine’s 2023 correspondent, he now blends storytelling, strategy, and trail miles around Denver. As a queer outdoorist, David brings visibility and joy to LGBTQ+ representation in the running, hiking, and skiing communities.

Photo credit: @davidgleisner

Organizations

@lgbtq.outdoors

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in June 2019, dedicated to connecting queer communities with nature. Hosts local meetups, national events like LGBTQ Outdoorfest, adventure trips, and partnerships that elevate LGBTQ+ visibility in the outdoors.

@mountain_pride

A Colorado-based collective focused on improving the lived experience of LGBTQ+ people in mountain regions. Organizes community events, ally education sessions, and celebrates Pride in the outdoors.

@outthereadv

Builds community for LGBTQ+ individuals through organized outdoor adventures, ranging from multi-day trips to local outings that foster connection and leadership.

@queercrushclimbing

A 501(c)(3) nonprofit that hosts 30+ monthly climbing meetups, both indoor and outdoor, to create safe spaces for queer, trans, and gender-diverse climbers to connect and build community.

@queernature

A queer, trans, and Two-Spirit-led project rooted in place-based skills, survival education, and eco-mysticism, it fosters queer ancestral futures and ecological belonging through an anti-colonial, anti-racist lens.

@theventureoutproject

A nonprofit offering wilderness trips, skill-building, and community empowerment specifically for queer, trans, and LGBTQ+ identified individuals. Known for LGBTQ+ rafting, backcountry trips, and first-aid fundraising initiatives.

@unlikelyriders

A nonprofit creating joyful, inclusive spaces in mountain sports that break down barriers for BIPOC, queer, and all riders. Shares real-life tips and hosts events that empower community leadership.

Photo credit: @unlikelyriders

From climbing walls to campgrounds, rivers to ridgelines, these creators and organizations are expanding what it means to belong outside. We’re grateful to everyone who shared their favorites with us—and to the LGBTQIA+ leaders who continue to build visibility, joy, and community in the outdoor world every day. This Pride Month and beyond, let’s keep amplifying these voices, celebrating diversity, and working toward a more inclusive outdoors for all.

LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA+, Outdoors for all, Pride Month

About the Gear Tester

Outdoor Prolink Pro

Kelly Knauf

Outdoor Prolink

Kelly Knauf leads the marketing team at Outdoor Prolink. She is a mountain lover, outdoor enthusiast, and professional snack packer. By day she answers emails and writes content, by night she's plotting her next camping trip or snowboarding adventure.