Navigating Benevolent Sexism in the Outdoors: How to Support Mountaineers Who Don’t Fit the Mold - Online Classroom

Outdoor recreation has become increasingly popular in the last decade. More and more women, trans, and genderqueer folks are in outdoor spaces, both in more technical backcountry activities such as climbing or mountaineering as well as ‘gateway’ activities such as hiking, camping, fishing, and cycling. 

We will cover how we invite mountaineers who don’t fit the ‘mold’ into the outdoors, how we create inclusive and welcoming spaces once we’re in the outdoors in our actions and language, and how we share and reflect on our experiences outdoors in ways that increase visibility and inspire others.

Participants will leave with a better understanding of what benevolent sexism is, how it shows up in the way we support wtfnb folks in the outdoors, and what we can do about it. 

Seminar Notes

This is an interactive session. Participants are encouraged to be fully present and participate in active reflection and engagement.

Open to all genders – we can all do more to support women, trans, femme, and non-binary folks in the outdoors. 

Presenter

Jessica ‘Stitches’ Guo is a long-distance hiker, writer, guide, and facilitator. She is part of the Athlete Alliance representing Protect Our Winters, a non-profit focused on environmental issues and civic engagement. With roots in the Pacific Northwest, she has hiked more than 10,000 miles across the U.S., Canada, Europe, and South America. She also founded and led a 90-person women, trans, femme, and nonbinary cycling community (all-ways.cc) based out of New York. 

Most recently, Jessica left her career facilitating corporate leadership and innovation workshops to become the first woman to connect the Continental Divide Trail and Great Divide Trail in one season, covering a distance of over 3,500 miles from New Mexico’s high desert to Alberta’s glaciated peaks in just under five months. Through documenting her hike on social media, she inspired tens of thousands to get outside. Her hike was featured in Outside Magazine, The Guardian, and Business Insider, among others. 

This summer, she will be guiding trips with Andrew Skurka Adventures in the High Sierra and working 1:1 with clients in using the outdoors to unlock their own power and support their growth.

6:30-8:00pm PST via Zoom Meeting
Meeting link will be sent to registered attendees the day of the session.