How Wild Diversity helps BIPOC and LGBTQ communities thrive outdoors

The outdoors are for everyone.

Wild Diversity wants to see more members of BIPOC and LGBTQ2S+ communities outside, whether hiking a trail, paddling a canoe, or camping in the wilderness. Since its founding in 2017, the Portland, Oregon-based nonprofit has tackled an outstanding number of initiatives and programs, including youth summer camps and group adventures for adults. The organization has also trained guides representative of the communities it serves.

Founder Mercy M’fon talked to Outdoors Wire about the need for Wild Diversity, its accomplishments so far, and its dreams for the future. 

Note: This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

RELATED: Here’s how Spacious Skies Campgrounds welcome diverse campers

A group of people from Wild Diversity in kayaks on a lake with mountains in the background.
Photo courtesy of Wild Diversity

Outdoors Wire: Tell us briefly why you started developing Wild Diversity.

M’fon: We started because we wanted to support the BIPOC and LGBTQ community. They were facing a lot of political actions against them. And we know that outdoors provides healing, helps people reset, helps relax, and brings people joy. And I wanted to really be a part of facilitating that for our community.

So we started in 2017. We did this gear drive to get gear so we can run the adventures. It became such a central part of the work we do in helping get people out accessibly. They don’t have to spend hundreds of dollars on gear. They can just join us on one of our activities, see if they like it, and not worry about anything else. 

We do adventures in Oregon and Washington. Our organization does a wide variety of adventures because we want people to find their own personal love language in the outdoors.

A group of people from Wild Diversity holding up foragables in a forest.
Photo courtesy of Wild Diversity

Outdoors Wire:  What obstacles may discourage people in your communities from getting into outdoor adventure?

M’fon: Similar to a lot of people, the outdoors can just be really scary, first and foremost. There’s the gear, there’s the cost, there’s the community, there’s the knowledge and education about going outside and being safe outdoors. For the communities that we serve, they also face things like intimidation, people threatening them. Assault. They face violence outdoors just for existing sometimes. So, it can be really challenging. 

We like to go outside as a community. We definitely provide all the education. We’re not just taking people on adventures. For example, if we went on a backpacking trip, we’re teaching them how to properly pack and fit their backpack. Teaching them how to cook, do the critter hang, and even to use the bathroom outdoors, which makes people nervous, too. So we really like to provide them with enough information that they feel comfortable going out on their own or with friends or family. And that’s our goal as a part of these beautiful community experiences is increasing their confidence and competence outdoors.

Two people in lifejackets in a lake.
Photo courtesy of Wild Diversity

Outdoors Wire: It looks like you’ve gathered a large number of diverse guides. How did you find each other?

M’fon: I really like to believe that all these guides found us. In the outdoor industry, you see many organizations say, “We can’t find anyone, we can’t find anyone.” It was always the reoccurring narrative around why they didn’t have diverse guides and diverse representation in the organization. 

We put a call out every year for guides. And, some years, we get close to 100 applications of people wanting to join our program. And I think it’s just like there’s people in the community out there that says like, “Yes, I want to support this community. I want to bring joy and access and comfort to this community.” And really just believing and buying into our mission and the work that we’re doing.

The thing about having a guide development program is that you get people who say, “Hey, I might not be a professional who’s been doing this for years and years, but I’m willing to learn how to show up for our community and be outdoors.” I think that is a big step that creates more openness to it. If we’re looking at an industry that doesn’t have a lot of diversity, and we’re asking for diversity that doesn’t exist — are we creating the stair steps for that diversity to exist and to thrive?

A group of hikers posing under a fallen tree in the forest.
Photo courtesy of Wild Diversity

Outdoors Wire: How do you choose from all those guide applications?

M’fon: We look at the applications as a team. For us, the most important thing is “would I want to be on a trip with this person who’s applying?” It’s a lot about personality. I can teach them the camp craft skills, I can teach them the risk management. But are they going to be the person that spending a weekend with them, you’re like, “I want to get out in the outdoors again? I had such a fulfilling time.” And that is the number one thing we’re looking for with our guide program.

A group of people on the shore of a river holding up paddles in front of a kayak.
Photo courtesy of Wild Diversity

Outdoors Wire: What can hikers of any background do to try to support other hikers’ comfort outdoors?

M’fon: When we think about creating welcoming spaces in the outdoors, I think a smile and a hello goes a long way. I’ve heard people say, “I go up to every BIPOC person and I shake their hand.” And I’m like, that could kind of be awkward. It’s like targeting in a different way. The person’s very well-meaning, but it can be uncomfortable when somebody’s giving you this attention that you’re not sure about. So I would just say a smile and a hello goes a long way.

And work on being judgment-free. Not everybody who goes outdoors has the high-end gear or even knows what they’re doing out there. But they’re trying their best. If we can show them empathy and compassion for their situation and not judge them that they’re not at the level we’re at, I think that’s really huge.

Four hikers posing in front of a tree lined lake.
Photo courtesy of Wild Diversity

Outdoors Wire: What have you learned in this work that has surprised you?

M’fon: I don’t know if I was in a pessimistic place or if I was just unsure, but I thought it would be something that would be like some youth in the future will have an easier time in the outdoors because of the work we’re doing today. And then we started programming. And the surprising part was that I and our team and all the guides we worked with over the years, we’re making an impact today. With the events that we do, with the representation that we support, with the opportunities and the access we provide. It is not some far off into the future thing that’s going to be the change maker. It is every single thing that our team is doing today, right now, to bring this joy and access to our community.

A person in a kayak on the water.
Photo courtesy of Wild Diversity

Nonbinary cyclist Abi Robins helps change the world of gravel biking

Cycling for all.

Abi Robins is a pioneer in the gravel biking world. They were the first person to race in the nonbinary category of Unbound Gravel, a Kansas-based bike event. Robins also founded Queer Gravel, an organization helping to make the gravel biking world friendlier to queer and trans people through meetups, clinics, group rides, advocacy, and mutual aid.

In 2021, Unbound created its nonbinary category in response to anti-trans legislation throughout the United States. That year, Robins was the only one to show up for it. In 2022, 17 nonbinary riders competed. As biking events move toward inclusivity, Robins hopes more queer cyclists will feel welcomed.

A person from the knees down posed on a blue bike.

Feeling safe in the gravel biking world

“As a non-binary person, I want to show up at events where I feel safe and welcomed and like I can show up as my full self,” Robins said in an interview with Yuri Hauswald, GU Energy Labs’s elite athlete manager.

For event planners, building an inclusive space means having resources like gender-neutral porta-potties and trans-friendly medical care nearby. Robins appreciates that event producers like Life Time are working to include more athletes but stresses that welcoming attitudes must start earlier in an athlete’s path. 

“I feel like at this point, it’s time for the rest of the industry to step up and start pulling their weight when it comes to trans and non-binary inclusion in cycling,” Robins said. “There are so many other touch points that a cyclist has to go through before they’re ready for an event, especially an event as large and intimidating as Unbound.” This includes feeling safe enough at their local cycling shop to get involved in the sport in the first place.

While event organizers are trying to welcome diverse audiences, some cyclists remain leery of racing in certain states. “These major events, they’re happening in states that politically lean in a way that can be really hostile towards these marginalized groups,” Robins said. “And these events happen on back roads even in what we might call quote unquote safe states. You get out into rural areas and generally those lean more red politically and again, I try not to overgeneralize, but those are areas that are generally more hostile to trans folks and to people of color. I know that’s not always the case, but it’s the case often enough and that it can make it scary.”

Changing the world

Despite the challenges, Robins believes gravel riding can help change the world. “I’ve experienced firsthand the power of spending time on a bike with someone you don’t know and how equalizing and connective it can be,” they said. “I try not to overstate it, but I do really feel like Gravel is one of the places where we have the ability to make a powerful and positive social impact that’s not just about cycling, but is about the country and the world.”

Watch: NCAA golfer Tori Bien is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community

Tori Bien is a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community and an NCAA golfer.

Tori Bien is a NCAA Division I golfer and student at Hofstra University in Long Island, New York. Being a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, she has faced obstacles in all areas of her life which have further strengthened her into the person she is today.

In the spirit of Pride Month, Bien sat down with Golfweek’s Averee Dovsek and told her coming out story, touched on the inclusivity of the golf community and the challenges she’s faced along her journey thus far.

Take a look.

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If you are looking to celebrate pride month on the golf course this month and every month, PXG has released some pride themed apparel.

Pride Outline Bucket Hat
Pride Outline Bucket Hat. (PXG)

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Athletic Fit Pride Polo
Athletic Fit Pride Polo- $125. (PXG)

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Transgender woman wins Florida mini-tour event, sets sights squarely on LPGA

Davidson is believed to be the first transgendered woman to win a professional tournament in the U.S.

It was, by all accounts, an unforgettable day for Hailey Davidson. On May 13, Davidson drained a 5-footer for par on the 18th hole to win her first professional title, topping LPGA player Perrine Delacour in the process. That same day she also received an email from the USGA stating that she’d met the organization’s Gender Policy eligibility criteria and can now compete in its championships. She hopes to soon hear similar news from the LPGA via a reciprocity agreement.

“I’m not just going to be stuck on mini-tours,” said Davidson, who is believed to be the first transgendered woman to win a professional tournament in the U.S.

Davidson, 28, works in social media for NBC’s Peacock division under the Golf Channel umbrella but has dreams of competing on the LPGA. In January, Davidson underwent gender reassignment surgery, a six-hour procedure. She’s been undergoing hormone treatments since Sept. 24, 2015, a date that’s tattooed on her right forearm.

“We are currently reviewing Hailey’s application to participate in LPGA Tour events under the LPGA’s gender policy,” said Heather Daly-Donofrio, the LPGA’s chief tour operations officer. “The policy is designed to be a private and confidential process between the LPGA and the athlete.”

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In 2010, the LPGA voted to eliminate its requirement that players be “female at birth” not long after a transgender woman filed a lawsuit against the tour.

Earlier this year, the USGA changed its Gender Policy to shorten the length of time transgender athletes had to wait to compete. Under the previous policy, a player must have undergone gender reassignment surgery at least two years prior to the entry deadline.

The revised policy eliminated the two-year period. Gender reassignment surgery must now be completed prior to the championship entry deadline.

The LPGA had a similar two-year rule when Davidson first started looking into its policies six years ago. She pushed to have it changed, and it too was recently removed.

“To be honest, you’re really just putting up a two-year roadblock to hope that we give up by the time that two years finishes,” she said. “That’s all I ever saw it as.”

Davidson got word in early February, while still in Baltimore recovering from surgery, that she could compete in National Women’s Golf Association events. A tournament-hungry Davidson immediately signed up for a tournament scheduled two months later.

On April 20, Davidson competed in her first professional event in six years. She shot 72-72 and finished tied for sixth, three shots behind Paula Creamer and five shots behind winner Megan Osland.

Davidson said she’s lost 9 mph in swing speed and hits it roughly 30 yards shorter off the tee since beginning hormonal treatments. Her doctor required that she lose weight before surgery, roughly 60 pounds, and Davidson reached that goal and then just kept going, losing 90 pounds in the last 300 days. She stayed away from any weight training in the process, doing whatever she could to trim muscle mass.

“Any advantage that existed is fully gone,” she insisted.

Davidson prepares for a banquet prior to the first round of a college tournament while competing for Christopher Newport University in the spring of 2013 (courtesy photo).

The last tournament Davidson competed in as a male was U.S. Open local qualifying in 2015 at Admiral’s Cove in Jupiter, where she lost in a 10-for-1 playoff.

Several weeks ago, Davidson competed in her first U.S. Women’s Open qualifier. While she had permission from the organization to compete in the qualifier, she still hadn’t been cleared for a championship since more information was still required. Davidson shot 1 under in the first round of sectional qualifying at Oceanside Country Club but struggled down the stretch, noting that she couldn’t get out of her mind the fact that even if she finished in the top two, she still might not get to Olympic Club.

“No matter how good I play,” she told herself, “it’s not up to me. Somebody else gets to decide my fate. As a male, you’re taught to go put your mind to it – you can do it.”

She ultimately tied for 10th after rounds of 71-77.

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Davidson, who now lives in Kissimmee, Florida, was born with her feet backward, requiring dozens of procedures throughout her childhood to correct. As a result, any sport that involved running wasn’t an option. Davidson said she grew up an angry golfer, prone to breaking clubs. For most of her life in the game, Davidson did everything she could to hide her truth given the conservative nature of the sport.

“I did everything I could to shove it away,” she said.

At the small, eight-player NWGA event on Thursday at Providence Golf Club, Davidson opened with a pair of bogeys in the final round.

“Back when I was a male, I would’ve lost it,” she said. “Probably would’ve shot 80 and my mind would’ve exploded.”

Several months ago, Davidson began working with PGA Tour Champions player Skip Kendall, mostly on putting, and has her eyes set squarely on LPGA Q-School later this summer.

Transgender athletes must indicate to the tour their desire to apply for LPGA qualifying by June 25. The first stage of Q-School takes place Aug. 19-22 in California at Mission Hills Country Club in Rancho Mirage (Dinah Shore and Pete Dye) and Shadow Ridge Golf Club in Palm Desert. The entry fee alone for Stage I is $2,500. There are three total stages.

Davidson started a GoFundMe account to help realize her dream of becoming the first transgender athlete to earn LPGA membership. She has around $3,500 of her $25,000 goal.

“As cool as it would be the first person to do something,” said Davidson, “to be honest, right now could not be a better time for me to hopefully keep pushing forward and maybe break out, because there is so much anti-transgender legislation. … I feel like actually having representation on any professional sports level will give kids so much more hope.

“When I was growing up that didn’t exist.”

Transgender golfer shares her dream of competing in World Long Drive events

Jamie O’Neill shared her story of transitioning from male to female and how softball and golf have helped her find community and new goals.

Jamie O’Neill played golf for the first time in six years as part of a team-building exercise with her new employer, an engineering firm.

Her first tee shot went straight down the fairway for 280 yards. “With that one shot I was hooked on playing golf again,” O’Neill wrote in a story for Outsports.com.

O’Neill, who is a 43-year-old transgender woman, shared her story of chasing her dream to compete in World Long Drive Association events.

She began her transition from male to female at age 34 in 2010. Deciding to transition was not easy, O’Neill writes. “I was prepared to lose my family, my friends, my career, but what I knew was I was not going to lose my life.”

O’Neill underwent facial feminization surgery and then spent hundreds of hours on electrolysis for hair removal, voice therapy and breast augmentation before having sexual reassignment surgery.

After recovering from her surgeries, O’Neill began playing softball to connect with the LGBTQ community. While she found support and encouragement from her softball teammates and competitors, it is golf that has provided a new passion.

The World Long Drive Association and Golf Channel have a policy in place for transgender athletes and O’Neill has met the conditions of the rules. “A competitor who has had gender reassignment must have had a gonadectomy no less than two years prior to the registration deadline for the specific WLDA event.”

O’Neill has received approval to compete in 2020, a Golf Channel spokesman confirmed.

O’Neill says she has been welcomed by many fellow competitors in World Long Drive, and she aspires to be a role model for other transgender athletes who compete at a professional level.

If she makes it through qualifying at a tour event, O’Neill will be well on her way to inspiring others – not only those within the LGBTQ community – who have followed her journey.