Expanding the Outdoors

This week we have a lovely chat with Rose (they/them), who shares how being in the outdoors brings them a sense of calm and connection. Throughout our chat, Rose shares a variety of stories from dispersed camping as a child, their first (not so pretty) camping trip as an adult, and rustling up the courage to tell some loud camp neighbors to shush. Our discussion continues to dive into the many layers of privilege one can hold and how to focus that privilege into opening the doors for others. For Rose, this redirection of confidence is vital to making the outdoors more inclusive for all folks.

This week we chat with Wallace (he/they), who shares their upbringing in the outdoors and his journey in gaining privilege as a white, transmasculine person accessing outdoor spaces. Wallace provides a unique take on queer representation, discussing the difficulties he experiences when shopping for clothing and gear. Wallace also shares how folks can show up for him and how he can show up for others in escalated situations and chats around the campfire. Tune in to hear the many lessons Wallace has to share!

After a bit of a break, we are back on schedule with bi-weekly episodes of hearing queer stories in the great outdoors. This week we chat with Schafer (they/them), who doesn't hold back in sharing their rough-n-tough outdoors upbringing and their slow progression into investing in gear that is both practical and supports their body. Being a person whose gender expression fluctuates, Schafer also discusses how said fluctuation changes how they are treated on a day-to-day basis regarding their outdoor expertise. We also discuss hidden disabilities and how Schafer finds connections with others by practicing vulnerability and showing what gear can help folks feel the most comfortable outdoors.

This week we chat with Luke (he/him), who shares his experience as a transmasc, neurodivergent individual navigating the outdoors. Luke shares how his connection with the outdoors is rooted in childhood memories with his father while at the same time not seeing himself represented in outdoor pop culture. He also discusses his desire to break into the off-roading world, the barriers he faces, and the complex choice of choosing to be stealth when interacting with folks who may or may not be welcoming to queerness. E.T.O believes in providing proper compensation to folks who volunteer to speak on the podcast as their stories hold immense value. Along with offering $25 to each speaker, we encourage our listeners to make a donation to the speaker. Luke's Venmo is @Luke-Engbrecht

We're back with season two of Expanding the Outdoors! In this first episode, we interview Dani (she/they) who is an LTGBQ+ youth camp director by day, Wilderness First Responder on the trails, and sober adventurer in life. In this intimate episode, Dani chats with us on the representation barriers they have faced with accessing outdoor activities, the impacts that non-inclusive language and inclusive language can have in emergency situations, and her hopes for herself, their community, and the future of outdoor activities. E.T.O believes in providing proper compensation to folks who volunteer to speak on the podcast as their stories hold immense value. Along with offering $25 to each speaker, we encourage our listeners to make a donation to the speaker. Dani's Venmo is @Dani-Logan

In our final episode of Season 1, we chat with Bea (they/them) and their beautiful journey of interconnecting their indigenous agricultural upbringing to American outdoor ideals. Bea shares how working and walking their family's farmland in Mexico formed a deep connection with nature and outdoor spaces. They also chat about cultural differences regarding how their family participates in outdoor activities and the challenges they have faced when being a brown person/family at campsites and hikes. Lastly, we chat about the importance of community, gear/knowledge sharing to increase accessibility, and how we continue to build upon the generations that have come before us. E.T.O believes in providing proper compensation to folks who volunteer to speak on the podcast as their stories hold immense value. Along with offering $25 to each speaker, we encourage our listeners to make a donation to the speaker. Bea's Venmo is @flordenopalmusic

This week we speak with Reed (He/Him) and learn about his journey into becoming an outdoorsy person. We first learn about Reed's upbringing in Naples, Florida, where he attended a conservative Christian church, and how that impacted his queer journey. Reed also discusses how the outdoors has not been a part of his life until recently. Different experiences, from car commercials to a negative experience with the girl scouts, subtly taught him that the outdoors was not for folks who looked like him. Despite these barriers, Reed has recently found home and community at a local bouldering gym and shares with us how bouldering is helping him to connect more holistically with his body and gender identity. E.T.O believes in providing proper compensation to folks who volunteer to speak on the podcast as their stories hold immense value. Along with offering $25 to each speaker, we encourage our listeners to make a donation to the speaker. Reed's Venmo is @surpriseitsreed

On episode 4 of Expanding the Outdoors, we chat with Sam (she/her) and how her queer, Jewish, and mother identities show up in outdoor activities. Sam begins by sharing her Jewish heritage and how it has impacted her relationship with the outdoors. Sam also shares her take on minority representations in the outdoors and what she believes organizations should and shouldn't do when it comes to diverse representation. Lastly, we discuss how fatphobia presents itself in the outdoor world and what we all can do to check our biases and make outdoor adventure more welcoming to folks of all shapes and sizes.

This week on Expanding the Outdoors, we chat with Anna (she/her) who walks us through her evolving relationship with nature. Anna best describes this relationship as a casual one and helps us to understand what current outdoor enthusiasts can do to welcome newcomers into outdoor spaces. We also hear some of her hesitations with outdoor activities, the effects of stereotypes, particularly in the lesbian community, and how a friend positively impacted her perception of outdoor activities. E.T.O believes in providing proper compensation to folks who volunteer to speak on the podcast as their stories hold immense value. Along with offering $25 to each speaker, we encourage our listeners to make a donation to the speaker. Anna's Venmo is @ih8grapes

In this week's episode, we chat with Jai (She/Her, He/Him) on her journey of becoming outdoors-ish. Jai discusses her outdoors roots from not-so-supportive experience with the Boy Scouts to more formative experiences with yearly Rennasiance style family camping trips. We also talk about the complexities of media representation, queer-femme outdoors experiences, and what is needed to fully feel welcomed in the great outdoors. E.T.O believes in providing proper compensation to folks who volunteer to speak on the podcast as their stories hold immense value. Along with offering $25 to each speaker, we encourage our listeners to make a donation to the speaker. Jai's Venmo is @Jai-Smith-8.

In our debut episode, we chat with Gustavo (he/him) on his transition away from competitive sports, the lesson he is learning as a new student in surfing, and how those of us who hold privilege can be better allies when planning outdoor activities with folks from marginalized communities. E.T.O believes in providing proper compensation to folks who volunteer to speak on the podcast as their stories hold immense value. Along with offering $25 to each speaker, we encourage our listeners to make a donation to the speaker. Gustavo's Venmo is @TheGustavoRivera.