Community Programs Queers & Gears
Our Queers & Gears program empowers the LGBTQ+ community by providing a safe space to gather, ride, and explore
Queers & Gears is an affinity group for the LGBTQ+ community in partnership with the Hellbenders Collective, a community to inspire, encourage and support women and gender-diverse cyclists to explore bikepacking and adventure cycling in PA.
Our intent is to provide a space for folks to come together to learn about their bikes and find joy in the great outdoors. Goals of Queers & Gears include quarterly supported bike camping trips, meetings, rides, and finally, the building and managing of South Central PA’s first Gear Library. This program benefits youth and adults seeking access to the outdoors.
What is a Gear Library?
A Gear Library provides access to low-cost and subsidized camping gear for bicycles and on foot campers alike. Folks are able to rent everything from tents, hammocks, and rain gear, to cooking supplies and bags creating opportunity to benefit from the health benefits of the great outdoors. The Common Wheel will manage all aspects of the Gear Library, including storage, cleaning, and lending. Eventually, we hope to partner with other organizations to offer even more items to create access to our beautiful rivers and creeks!
According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, spending time in nature has been shown to improve both physical and mental health, however, we know that LGBTQ+ communities face barriers to accessing the great outdoors. We are on a mission to change that!