Doing the Work: How to make outdoor programs more inclusive and affirming for LGBTQ+ folks - Online Classroom

Washington Trails Association (WTA) believes that everyone deserves to have opportunities to recreate outdoors and to have safe, welcoming and inclusive experiences on trail. Unfortunately, outdoor spaces are not safe or accessible for everyone, nor is our hiking community always as welcoming or inclusive as it should be. With the help of our community, WTA’s Trails for Everyone campaign is striving to change that. This workshop will dive into the ways WTA is working to make our programs more inclusive and affirming to LGBTQ+ folks. We'll discuss Universal Accommodations to make programs more affirming to participants of all genders and sexual orientations, and explore how shared-identity events can be a powerful tool for welcoming more LGBTQ+ community members into our programs.

PRESENTER

rza allen (they/them) is a philosophical nature nerd working for liberation and multi-species kinship in the drippy northwest forests of the so-called United States. They are a community-builder and backcountry program manager with over 10 years of experience facilitating immersive learning spaces for students of all ages. Since 2017, they've been the Youth Trail Program Manager for Washington Trails Association. They are passionate about queer community, making medicine, sit spots, bicycling, and dismantling the white supremacist cis-hetero capitalist patriarchy