‘We have to be on guard a lot’: Why safety comes first for so many LGBTQ travelers
- Safety comes first for many LGBTQ travelers when deciding where to go and how to get there.
- Some destinations are an “automatic no” for them, like countries that criminalize their identity.
- For many travelers, preparing for a trip starts with looking up the experiences of other LGBTQ travelers and locals.
Mason Aid looks for a Starbucks coffee shop on every road trip.
It’s not for the coffee.
“I schedule bathroom breaks around Starbucks locations because I know that they have gender-neutral bathrooms,” said Aid, who is nonbinary transmasculine. “That makes a big difference.”
They’ve already started planning where they’ll stop and how they’ll present at rest stops on their 13-hour drive to Rocky Mountain National Park this summer.