A new queer-focused “outdoor gear library” in Portland, Maine is helping the LGBTQ+ community get out into nature with all the health, fitness and fun that entails, according to a Maine Public report And the initiative is a terrific model for other communities.
Reports MainePublic.org:
In a cozy basement space in Portland, Hallie Herz and their partner Eva Fury are holding an open house and membership drive at Kindling Collective, a queer-focused outdoor gear library. They are outdoor enthusiasts who came up with the idea while on a hike in the White Mountains.
They wanted to make camping, backpacking, and skiing more accessible to the queer community by collecting high-end gear and lending it out to people like Mia Delbene.
Delbene is poring over some of the gear that’s been acquired since last fall, including backpacks, tents, sleeping bags, lanterns and compasses.
She said she’s considering joining Kindling Collective because she wants to introduce camping to her friends, and the gear library will lift the burden of buying expensive equipment.
“Gear is really important. It’s what keeps you safe and gives you an enjoyable experience,” Delbene said. “A lot of people don’t have the gear so they can’t have an enjoyable experience.”
Co-founders Herz and Fury said they were able to get a lot of equipment donated through the Outdoors Empowered Network, where they formed partnerships with major brands and obtained access to deep discounts on wholesale pricing.
And to make membership in Kindling Collective more affordable, Herz said the annual fees are based on income.
“Our model is an economic justice model. We see Kindling Collective as a shared resource that belongs to members. It’s a tiered pricing model for membership,” Herz said. “So based on resources and money, the more you have the more you pay. The less you have the less you pay.”
And while anyone is welcome to join Kindling Collective and borrow from the gear library, there are special training courses and trips designed to bring LGBTQ+ members outdoors in groups. Fury said some may fear for their safety in remote locations or may have had a bad experience being harassed or threatened, but still want to go hiking or camping.
“I want to try something new with a marginalized identity that isn’t accepted everywhere I go. That’s scary,” Fury said. “So we want to smooth a pathway into those beautiful embodied joyful experiences outside but in a way that people feel they can access without as much fear.”
Read the complete MainePublic.org story here.
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