PHOTO GALLERY: Queer On The Outside

Alia Allen / 39 / Academic Advisor / Laugavegur Trail, Iceland

“In July 2016, I backpacked 55km in 4 days through a diverse and surreal landscape of rainbow-colored mountains, lunar-like lava fields, steaming fumaroles, glacier-fed rivers, the greenest sheep-grazing pastures, and the rainiest birch forest. I highly recommend it, but don’t forget to byobourbon!”

Sara Giza / 33 / Writer, Social Worker / Louisville, KY

“Being outside and with my cat Alice Pawl, are two of my favorite forms of self-care.”

Lucy and Chiara Gardner / 32 / Automation scientist (I make robots do experiments) and Business Analyst at Cambridge / Prospect Park, Brooklyn, NY

“We’re on holiday in NY (were from England) and we went to the park to play catch with our new baseball gloves but we ended up eating strawberries and sunbathing while using the gloves as lovely head cupping pillows.

Kris / 34 / Wedding and Event Planner / My family’s North Louisiana tree farm

“My family got together on our tree farm for an Easter weekend fish fry. I brought my dog, Alfred Fraggle, and we went on an adventure on the side-by-side.”

Naomi / 32 / Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park, CO

“I’m usually an indoor queer but I was visiting my sister in Denver, and she insisted we get out and See Some Nature. I’m so glad she did – in times of uncertainty, it’s strangely comforting to be surrounded by mountains that have been here long before us and will stand long after we’re gone.”

Chloe / 18 / Barista, Student / The line between suburban and rural CO

“This is a spot I pass almost every day on my average bike ride. While I’m not a farmer (yet), I love being outside; it’s a refuge for me. I just went through a pretty bad breakup.”.

Jeh and Law / 20, 26 / Medical student; Chef / Kulleet Bay, Vancouver Island, Canada

“I’m always in awe of my partner’s strength. Here we are on an Easter vacation to the beautiful coast of Vancouver Island in British Columbia from London, England, where we live.”

Emily / 25 / Data Analyst, Content Manager / Ohiopyle, PA

“The morning after camping out at the Bidwell Shelters at Ohiopyle State Park. Not pictured: The rainfly over my hammock that I didn’t need but used anyway. I originally took pictures before the sun was fully up, and then took more pictures once I had already started packing up, ostensibly because the lighting was better, but also I was putting off starting the hike back. Photo cred: My phone duct taped to a tree.”

Amanda and Liz / 26, 24 / Brewery Manager; Teacher / Victory Field, Indianapolis, IN

“Watching baseball from the lawn section, eating veggie dogs, holding hands, dodging running children.”

Hanna / 35 / Supervisor for people with disabilities / Gothenburg, Sweden

“Photo taken by my friend Mia 70 kilometers north of Gothenburg, Sweden. We’d just been riding Scandinavia’s longest zipline.”

Pages: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18See entire article on one page

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74 Comments

  1. I love this!

    The other galleries were great, but fed my “Oh, no, no one else has a rustic farm meets country château aesthetic—I’m not queer enough!” anxieties. This one, though… I have a garden and grow stuff, I hike, I run, I bike, I visit parks and beaches and stand around in rivers!

    Also, you’re all too darned cute. The couples pictures slayed me.

  3. Everyone looks AMAZING

    And I have like other 50 llama pics if you want, just say the word.

    • Sorry, Alice, but I have to ask. Did you get spat by a llama?

      By the way, one thing stuck in my head, and I heard this while travelling on Northern Argentina, is that female llamas spit on males when she’s not interested in his advances.

      • Nope, fortunately not. I have to say though that we only got close to those we found in ‘touristy’ places (so they’re probably used to people being around them), we kept our distance with the ‘wild’ ones cause you never know :)

        A girl I met when I was there told me that thing and I was like SAME.

  4. Diane who biked from Tijuana to BC, if you’re willing pls pm me about how you planned your bike camp trip. Practical stuff like gear, budget, route, fitness + safety. Thanks!

  5. When I saw how many pages there were to this, I thought it would take an age to get through them all, but now I never want them to end…

  6. Aww these are all so awesome! <3

    And I love that my submission and my bff's submission are one after the other :)

  7. I’m from Asheville. I have been all over the Blue Ridge Parkway. That’s where I learned how to drive. My parents would take us to the Parkway and let us drive. I loved living there because there were so many beautiful places to go for a day or more. I have hiked and camped all over the Parkway and Pisgah National Forest with my Springers. Now I live in Winston Salem and go up to Pilot Mountain for day hikes. There were many pictures where I thought “I want to go there”. These are wonderful.

  9. so i’m okay with saying i know all the queers who’ve been outside. they have good outsides, the best ever

  12. I guess the ones I sent in weren’t HQ enough? Just my luck for trying to use my instax mini for this
    Unless I skipped a page
    Oh Well

    • ( @green I know ur busy and I’m sorry to bug you but I want my pics to make future galleries; what would the reasons be for a photo collage to not make it in & how can I avoid this fate in May?)

  15. I’ll have to get a better picture for the next gallery because man I don’t even look like myself in mine!

  16. I’m in my tent at the 96 mile mark on the PCT and I just looked through every photo and they brought me so much joy. Love you guys. <3

    • VANESSA I live in wrightwood! Literally on the pct. My housemates and I hosted 8 hikers over this past weekend. Hit me up with a pm!! We’all have a shower and laundry for you. <3

      (ps my pic in this gallery is like 4/5ths of the way down, Nina Vuoso outdoor educator in hotsprings :))

  18. I love and appreciate all you babes so much! Also ~Canadian queers~ I love how you all showed up!!!!!!!!! anyone wanting a hiking buddy I’m all around alberta and BC this summer so get at me

  20. Oh Emily of Saskatoon, this made me tear up:

    “These transitions have been much needed, soul filling, confusing, frustrating, wonderful and exhausting, and have had me deeply questioning what I’m doing and why I’m doing it, but last night the northern lights were so vibrant, dancing magnificently above as we walked by the river, and they told me I am exactly where I need to be.”

    I love and admire you so very much!

  21. One of my college roommates is from Vacaville and always said it was an alright city. Didn’t know it looks that beautiful and vibrant.

    Yay, I’m Autostraddle!

  22. It did not occur to me that I could send a photo from any time… all this month I’ve been like ‘it is gross outside. i will not be queer outside. only inside.’

  25. I’m sorry my queer outdoor photo didn’t make it into the gallery. I might post it here later.

    Theme suggestions:
    Queers at Work
    Queers with pets
    Queers on the move (bikes, buses, cars, unicycles)

  26. Deborah at the Shire! Sir Bud looking magnificent! Emily at a glacier! Vanessa on the PCT! Really, just everybody. Yay.

  27. Queer femme botanists!! In the Columbia Gorge! I am one of those! That’s where I am!!! Sofia if you see this I would love to botanize with y’all, I’ll bring fresh bread :’)

    • This gallery posted waaaaay more queer botanists and arborists than I would ever have anticipated!

  28. Michael in Toronto, if you’re reading this: I’d like to read more about your opinion on Basic Income! Where could I find it?

    • The Rural Dykes of America make me so happy! Seeing rural Wisconsin represented in the last TWO galleries just makes my heart sing! So much love for my fellow committed rural-dwelling Midwesterners!

  29. you’re all so beautiful in the great outdoors! i’m very inspired to do a shit-ton of hiking/camping/gardening/other activities in dirt this summer.
    also: Rural Dykes of America sounds like the greatest thing in the world and i’m suddenly really bummed that i don’t live in southern wisconsin.

  30. THIS IS LIFE

    I love Iceland but didn’t get the chance to hike while I was there and am now even more determined to go back.

  33. Wow, we really love National Parks! Also, I’m moving to Northern California next year. Does anyone have some hiking trail recommendations for Santa Clara County and/or San Mateo County?

  35. Shout out to the ‘Strayans who submitted their gorg photos – wootwoot! :)
    And hopefully next time more photos from Asia / the Philippines!
    Thanks for putting this together, Laneia! Will there be another batch?? :)

    • Oh and thanks for including my photos! I finally made it in an Autostraddle photo gallery! :D #DayMade #LifeMade!!!

  37. Awww man the couples pictures. In my head a picture had to be super recent and my girl is currently 3,000 miles away, but we have some awesome pictures of us being hella gay outdoors when she’s visited. Whoops.

  38. So many cool people doing cool things!
    Also, so many people in Scotland!!! Where were you all when I still lived there, haha

  39. Hey Diana on Page 4, I live walking distance from that beer garden and was just there last weekend! I’ll definitely be there more often over the summer, so keep an eye out for purple hair – or just DM me, whichever’s easier.

  40. Rural Dykes of America sounds so wonderful and something that I wish I could be a part of.

  41. This gallery makes me want to go hiking and find other queer people in the wild! And it made me miss beautiful Britain. I forget how nice the countryside is back home. But I’m living in the Basque Country at the moment, and it’s pretty gorgeous here too.

  42. Laneia! This is my favourite Queer IRL so far! (And not just because my doggo and I are featured in it). I LOVE IT.

  43. Kerri, you are living the life of my dreams – Scottish graveyard catspotting.

    • It’s true – in that moment, the stars were 100% aligned!

      (A backstory: on that trip, I accidentally miscommunicated with the neighbors looking after my own cat, and the poor guy didn’t eat for three days. I was an absolute wreck about it, even though the neighbors rushed over and found that he was cranky but fine. Scottish graveyard cat was like a soothing feline balm for my frazzled heart!)

  44. Woohoo, I am glad that I could be the lucky one to represent Connecticut in this album! (Also happy I am not the ONLY person to not have myself in my picture!)

    • I grew up in Connecticut and was so happy to see a place next door from my hometown!

  45. Well these are all just dandy! What an awesome collection of photos reflecting the diversity of our queer world.

    Although I can’t help but notice that I am the official ‘eldergay’ #42goingon24 ?

  46. Well these are all just dandy! What an awesome collection of photos reflecting the diversity of our queer world.

    Although I can’t help but notice that I am the official ‘eldergay’ #42goingon24 ?

  48. Yay, hello from Slovakia to folks from Czech republic and Hungary! :-)
    Unfortunately I missed this call for photos, I love hiking and biking and being outside.
    Everybody is visiting such beautiful places. I really liked this gallery.

  49. Hi there, I was wondering if my photos could be removed from this gallery? I know I submitted them myself but I gave my full name and now they come up when you search my name on Google which, unfortunately, is not professionally wise for me :( Please let me know!

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