There is no “pride” felt in this story, no celebration of selfhood befitting LGBTQ+ Month; rather, there’s fear, as two gay women heading into the woods for the weekend are beset by thoughts of other women who have been assaulted and killed while camping. Bret Serbin’s essay, reprinted here in full from the current issue of Deep Wild Journal, is a sober reminder to all—and especially those of us who enjoy “most favored status”–that the backcountry, like the rest of the country, remains for many a place of prejudice and heightened risk.
The image at the essay’s end is from artist Andie Thram’s portfolio, “Whiskey, Tango, Foxtrot” (WTF?).
Deep Wild Journal 