By Ilana Newman for The Daily Yonder.
Broadcast version by Eric Galatas for Colorado News Connection for the Public News Service/Daily Yonder Collaboration

A new group in Montezuma County, Colorado, aims to provide an inclusive outdoor space for biking. Queer Byke Brigade, started by Clara Moulton and Kit Jones, was inspired by an LGBTQ+ group ride at Roam Fest, a bike festival for women, marginalized riders, and genderqueer femme people in Sedona, Arizona.

LGBTQ+ culture has historically centered around bars, clubs, and cities. However, there are many LGBTQ+ identifying people in rural areas who love to spend their free time outdoors. But finding community in these rural areas, away from many of the LGBTQ+ hubs of urban centers, can be challenging.

“We were like, how do we get more of this?” Moulton said about Roam Fest. “We wanted the ride part, but we also wanted the social networking, because it’s rural out here and there’s a lot more queer folks than there used to be, but there’s still not a lot of queer folks. So just creating a really inclusive supportive network was a priority.”

Justin Yoder, founder of LGBT Outdoors, a national nonprofit with the mission to get more LGBTQ+ people outside, said that many people don’t understand why queer people can’t go outside and go hiking or do whatever they want. 

“I remember one person, in particular, was like, ‘the outdoors is fine for everybody. The squirrels aren’t going to judge you.’ No, the squirrels won’t, but the stories we hear are horrifying and can be scary,” said Yoder. 

“Not everyone feels that safety in outdoor spaces,” said Moulton. “Maybe it’s super scary for like a trans masc [masculine] human to go bike by themselves in a rural space. But if they’re doing it with like 15 other queers that are hooting and hollering and being weird, it feels a little bit better and a little safer. And the hope is that one day that won’t be necessary. But until then, creating the opportunity to feel safety in numbers is huge, and also getting others used to seeing people that don’t look like them in outdoor spaces and being ok with it.”

Being LGBTQ+ in rural areas might not be always easy, but there are also more LGBTQ+ people than people may assume. Approximately 3 million LGBTQ+ people live in rural America. While it can sometimes feel unsafe to walk down the street in a rural area as an openly LGBTQ+ person, there are also moments of connection that may not happen in an urban setting.

“There have been times where we would be holding hands and taking our dog for a walk on the shoulder of the highway, and I had thoughts where it was like all it takes is for one really hateful person to just swerve and that’s it. It’s scary to have to constantly have the awareness of whether am I safe here,” said Moulton. 

“But also, this community surprises me. There have been times when I’m sitting down with someone very much the political opposite of me, and they don’t bat an eye around queerness. When we get on that human level, they just see me as a human, and I see them, and we can shed the political bullshit. Which is why I like this community.”

Yoder, who grew up in rural Missouri, never thought he would come out when he was living in a conservative, rural area. Now he said that a lot has changed regarding the visibility of LGBTQ+ people. “Having something like LGBT Outdoors can make a huge difference in helping connect to other people that are like them and letting them know they aren’t alone,” he said. “Finding something like LGBT Outdoors could have saved a lot of hurt for me because when I was a kid I didn’t know anyone that was gay. [The outdoors] is a powerful setting that could really change lives and save lives too.”

Historically centered around bars, clubs, and other spaces that often prioritize alcohol and drugs, queer culture has developed a strong attachment to these environments. 

“When people are coming out, especially if their friends or family aren’t supportive, the easiest place to get connected is gay bars. A lot of times it’s very easy to go down a slippery slope with alcohol and drugs. There are not a lot of places that are easy to find to get plugged in [to the LGBTQ+ community] outside of that world,” said Yoder.

 “Another aspect of what we do is let people know there is a healthier option to this. A lot of times those people have never been involved in the outdoors, but they also know the bar scene isn’t a good scene for them, and they’re willing to give the outdoors a shot.”

Moulton wants Queer Byke Brigade to be a space separated from alcohol, but drinking is also deeply entwined with both outdoor culture and rural areas. Moulton say that it can be hard to find places to host non-biking meetups that aren’t alcohol centered, like the local brewery or cidery. While there are often non-alcoholic choices, Moulton wonders who the group is excluding simply by holding an event at an alcohol-centered location.

“We believe that way more people in the [LGBTQ+] community love the outdoors than what people think,” said Yoder. “A lot of times when they think of gay people, they think of people that love the city and love going to the bars and love going to clubs and are not outdoorsy, but there’s a ton of us that do love the outdoors.”

Other barriers like cost, and time, also stand in the way of getting into outdoor activities.

“Biking is a predominantly white affluent sport,” said Moulton, “It’s rapidly changing, which is amazing, but it could change faster and there’s way more to change.”

Queer Byke Brigade and LGBT Outdoors both try to offer resources like bikes to borrow and places to find more affordable gear so that getting into the outdoors doesn’t feel so hard. “Don’t feel like you have to go for something brand new if you’re going kayaking or camping. Facebook marketplace is a great place to be able to go and try to find used kayaks or used bicycles or used tents,” said Yoder. 

“Don’t feel like you have to go with the top-of-the-line to get started. Find friends you can go with and figure out if you like it before dropping a lot of money on it.”


Ilana Newman wrote this article for The Daily Yonder.


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Rural LGBTQ+ youth in Indiana face greater mental health challenges, but have found ways to build community online, according to a new report. 48% of the state's LGBTQ-plus youth live in a small city or town, according to the 2024 Survey on the Mental Health of LGBTQ+ Young People in Indiana study. The next largest region is the suburbs.

Michael Parent, principal researcher with HopeLab, said the demographic has difficulty finding support in their communities, compared to their urban peers, but noted that there are some positive trends too.

"They had a lot of sense of internal pride in their identity," he said. "So despite being in some more challenging circumstances, they also had really positive internal feelings about themselves."

Parent added that, while young LGBTQ+ people in rural areas struggle to connect in person, they often find friends online. Those communities can be based around a shared LGBTQ+ identity but can also involve a shared passion for gaming or art. 53% of this demographic in Indiana are aged 18-to-24, while 47% are between 13 and 17.

Data from the survey found that family and community are seen as places of affirmation - an environment of validation through a sense of belonging, safety, and respect. Parent agrees community plays an important role, but pointed to a lack of in-person support for rural LGBTQ+ youth.

"Rural LGBTQ+ young people are having a lot of challenges in their circumstances and environments," he added. "But finding that they had a lot of internal sense of pride in their identity is really positive and was surprising, because we didn't really think that would show up."

Other ways to show support for the community include not supporting politicians that advocate for anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, accepting their partner, and doing research about gender identities.


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Advocacy groups are speaking out about how they believe congressional cuts to Medicaid will disproportionately affect caregiver LGBTQ+ communities in Illinois.

Jaimie Worker, senior director of policy and research for the advocacy group Caring Across Generations, said Medicaid can be a lifeline for LGBTQ+ people who are aging or living with disabilities, especially those without traditional family support. She explained for many, care is provided by "chosen family" or friends, with support from Medicaid largely making that possible.

"LGBTQ+ communities are impacted in a unique way when it comes to self-directed care: being able to choose who your care provider is as an older adult or person with a disability," Worker pointed out. "Many of these programs are heavily supported by Medicaid."

She noted as people already face barriers to receiving the care they need, Medicaid cuts would unnecessarily force some into institutional settings like nursing homes, where they would never have chosen to receive care.

An estimated 700,000 people nationwide are on waiting lists to receive home- and community-based care through Medicaid. Last year, more than 15,000 were in Illinois. No matter how dire their need, Worker stressed people can wait years to access these services and LGBTQ+ individuals face additional barriers.

"Those are the folks who already know about the services; not everyone is aware about the services that are available. LGBTQ folks are also more likely to experience discrimination while trying to access care needs."

Currently, people who make less than $22,000 a year in Illinois could qualify for Medicaid. Worker predicts new federal qualifications will make it more difficult for people to qualify, even with extremely limited resources.

"And make it harder for people to live and age with dignity, and largely in their own homes and communities where most people would prefer to live and age," Worker underscored.

She reported starting July 24, Caring Across Generations will host a 60-hour vigil for Medicaid in Washington, D.C., to amplify the stories of caregivers, people with disabilities, older adults and families from across the country.

This week, the law guaranteeing same-sex marriage equality turned 10. But advocates are concerned about the growing number of threats it now faces.

A decade after the Supreme Court's historic Obergefell v. Hodges decision, most Americans are onboard with gay marriage. While President Donald Trump has never stated outright opposition, members of his conservative base do. And with a conservative Supreme Court majority, Justices Samuel Alito and Clarence Thomas have also signaled they'd like to revisit the issue.

Despite pressure from the far right, said Jenny Pizer, chief legal officer at Lambda Legal, ending same-sex marriage isn't something that has public support.

"I think what is key for people to have in mind is, there's no case in front of the Supreme Court pending for a court review at this moment," she said, "and the Supreme Court can't review a case and consider a case without there being a case -- and there is none at this point."

She reminded folks that Congress passed the Respect for Marriage Act in 2022, which codified marriage protections for same-sex and interracial couples. It also repealed the Defense of Marriage Act, a 1996 law that exclusively recognized marriage between one man and one woman.

In 2020, Nevada became the first state to enshrine gay couples' right to marry in its state Constitution.

Even if the law were overturned and certain states were what she called "hostile" to same-sex couples who want to marry, Pizer said, states would have to continue to respect and honor same-sex marriages. She added that folks should not be panicking, but should be paying attention.

"The bottom line is that we have to keep our eye on this," she said. "We know that there are those on the far right who want to raise money on this issue, want to gin up fears on this issue, use it for organizing."

Since the Supreme Court's decision in June 2015, almost 600,000 same-sex couples have married legally. In the United States alone, there are about 823,000 married gay couples, according to the Williams Institute at the UCLA School of Law.