Pride and Prejudice

Diversity, equity, and inclusion in the outdoors.

By Peak Design

July 2^nd, 2019

It's me, Annie, again — Peak Design's Sustainability Director.

This past weekend, Pride was celebrated across the globe, honoring the LGBTQ+ community and decades of tireless activism. It's a particularly colorful and joyful weekend here in San Francisco.

But instead of joining the celebration, I found myself quietly reflecting about where we are today and how far we have to go. This came largely after reading comments from an Instagram post by Chaco featuring the fabulous Pattie Gonia. Pattie is the world's first backpacking drag queen whose mission it is to bring "inclusivity, positivity, and heels into the outdoors." Comments garnered by a picture that Chaco posted of Pattie sporting their sandals included things like: "Please just stop you faggot", "This is horrific - never buying your stuff again", and "Can y'all just make shoes and not shove gay down all of our throats."

Pattie is a friend and inspiration to everyone here at Peak Design. Seeing the ignorant hateful responses and learning about the direct threats made to Pattie not only angered and saddened me, but also made it startling clear how alive and well homophobia is in this country. It burst my San Francisco love-is-love bubble.

Being a straight white woman of privilege, I will never be able to fully understand the pain, fear and anger that many people of color and LGBTQ+ people experience on a daily basis. Unlike them, I can choose to think or not think about equality issues. When I feel interested, I can get involved. When I’m too busy or tired, I can check out and “deal with it” later. People of color and the LGBTQ+ community can never “deal with it later.” For them, it is now and always.

Personally, I’ve found my inaction tied to several causes, one being that I’m scared about saying something wrong or doing something I think is helpful but is ill-conceived (which I’ve done). Or there are common corporate excuses like, “Diversity is important but not a priority;” or “We’re already a tolerant inclusive company — we don’t need to do anything more.”

Companies, Peak Design included, need to do more than flying a rainbow flag outside their store during Pride weekend to push back the hate and intolerance that continues to rear its grotesque head throughout this nation.

We need to publicly vocalize our values. We must to lift up equal rights, defend the underrepresented and persecuted, admonish those who speak and act hate. This needs to be done continuously — everyday at every level of communication.

We need to take a critical look at hiring and recruitment practices. We must mitigate gender, racial, and other hidden biases.

Our marketing content must reflect our values. This is true for both the subjects we use and the photographers and filmmakers who make that content. We will be aspirational, aware, and intentional when developing and sharing content.

We must put our money where our mouth is. This means donating to organizations who have made it their mission to fight this fight head on.

We must educate our colleagues through respectful discussions and formal training. Cultivate tolerance and increase understanding of the systematic barriers that exist.

Peak Design has begun doing all of this, but we have a long way to go.

As for the Outdoor Industry, let’s be the leader. We’ve been a leader in fighting for the environment — it’s time to be a leader in the fight for diversity, equity, and inclusion. The fact of the matter is, we’re going to lose the environmental fight unless we grow our army of advocates to include those from all races, sexual orientations, and socio-economic backgrounds.