The Weekly - June 23, 2020 - 11

of listening, learning, educating,
and using resources and individuals
outside of the industry to create a
more equitable space to bring underrepresented groups to the table. We
also need diverse representation
in athlete and ambassador rosters,
brand storytelling, and overall marketing initiatives. How can we say we
want everyone to get outside without
first making them welcome?

Erin Parisi

Climber bidding to become the first
trans athlete to complete the Seven
Summits; She/Her/Hers
I'm someone who finds strength,
relaxation, adventure, and empowerment in the outdoors. I camped and
rode bikes as a kid and then got into
kayaking, backcountry skiing, and
climbing. I had an aunt who was
part of the LGBTQ+ community, but
when I was first in the outdoors, there

F R O M TO P : CO U R T E SY M AS S I M O A L P I A N , B R E N DA N P DAV I S/ P H OTO G R A P H Y F O R M E R R E L L

Massimo
Alpian

was no path for a trans woman. So I
used the outdoors as a distraction-
a way for me to keep proving to
myself that I was a badass without
addressing my sexuality. But, then,
five years ago, I couldn't hide my
authentic self anymore.
I began transitioning and then decided that I'd show I could be trans in
the world by climbing the Seven Summits [starting in 2018]-as my big FU
to the world. Here's the thing about
traveling to several of the countries
with these summits: In Tanzania it's
a crime to be gay or lesbian; in Chechnya, there's government-sponsored
violence against the queer community; and even in my neighborhood in
Denver, I was attacked by three men
and a woman. Yet I think a lot of outdoor brands are trying to make the
LGBTQ+ community more visible
[including Parisi's sponsor, Merrell,
who produced this video about her.]

Erin
Parisi

THAT'S WHERE THE INDUSTRY AS A WHOLE
NEEDS TO DO THE WORK TO LEARN HOW
TO INCLUDE US AND NOT JUST SAY, "YOU'RE
HERE." THAT WILL ONLY COME IF WE
HAVE GREATER UNDERSTANDING AND
REPRESENTATION, AND-VERY IMPORTANT-
EXAMINE OUR HIRING PRACTICES.
-Massimo Alpian

sion there.  And even in the moments
when I've been included, I sometimes
have ended up feeling like the odd
person out at the high school dance-
who wasn't asked to dance. I've been
doing a lot of self-reflection over the
past couple of weeks, and what I've
realized is that I've often allowed
myself to be perceived as straightpassing because it was a learned
defense mechanism used in childhood and my teenage years-a means
to survive, and, sometimes, a way to
progress professionally. But I'm now

speaking out because I believe there's
a lot of work for the outdoor industry
to do in accepting the LGBTQIA
community, as well as the Black and
non-Black POC communities.
That's where the industry as a
whole needs to do the work to learn
how to include us and not just say,
"You're here." That will only come if
we have greater understanding and
representation, and-very important-examine our hiring practices.
The industry should rely less on referral hiring and instead do the work

OUTDOOR RETAILER SUMMER 2020 / THE WEEKLY 11
https://youtu.be/CfJ2Q4YCKy0
The Weekly - June 23, 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Weekly - June 23, 2020
