‘A Moment Under the Sun’: Queer-Led Groups Are Getting Outside This Pride

“They were both big artists and invited artists from across the country to their home,” McCauley said. “So the specific space has a lot of history as well.”

Even if you don’t typically consider yourself the outdoorsy type, summer is nonetheless a great time to get outside in the Bay Area, McCauley said — when the birds and other wildlife are particularly active.

• Jump straight to: More outdoors Pride events in the Bay Area this June

One group taking full advantage of the summer weather’s possibilities for creating community is Trailhead Gays. Founded by Gio Orantes, the group is a gathering space for gay men interested in exploring the outdoors.

Orantes’s collective organizes free events all year round, including hikes, camping, backpacking and other trips, but for Pride month this year, they’re hosting a hike around Angel Island on June 21 and a daytime campout in Dolores Park on June 28.

Orantes, who is originally from Guatemala, said he came out as gay 17 years ago, just three days after moving to San Francisco: “It’s a beautiful city, and with the sense of community, it just felt like the right moment.”

After becoming more interested in the outdoors as an alternative to the party scene, Orantes took up sports, joining local leagues and organizing hikes with friends every month. At first, it started with just a few friends, but more and more kept joining. “And suddenly it was like, 50 people hiking,” Orantes said.

Many of the participants don’t have cars, so everyone started carpooling — which sealed the deal on building community, he said.

“Sometimes you are driving for an hour or two hours with people you have never met,” he said. “So it helps us to start creating those friendships and start getting people to connect and get a lot more social and make new friends.”

Since then, word about Trailhead Gays has spread throughout the San Francisco LGBTQ+ community, especially among those new to the city. Online interest through Instagram has also resulted in the group’s more unique events, like their upcoming New Year’s camping trip to Death Valley, attracting people from across the country. Now, he’s hoping to expand the website to serve as a community portal, powered entirely by donations, and even introduce a housing page for those seeking rentals, World Cup watch parties and more.

While “San Francisco is so gay in a sense,” Orantes said, there is still “a lot of isolation between gay men.”

He said organizing Trailhead Gays felt more urgent than ever last year, when a friend died by suicide.

The kind of events the group organizes offer “a moment under the sun with people like them,” Orantes said. “A lot of people come for different reasons, and they keep coming, at the core, I think, because they want to be with their community.”

Orantes himself has only grown more and more proud of his identity, with the green stripe on the Pride flag, which represents nature, serving as his inspiration.

“[I went] from feeling ‘unnatural’ being gay to now fully embracing myself as a gay man, and understanding that it’s part of nature as well,” he said. “Nature itself just gave me a new outlook on life and a place where I feel like I belong.”

Knowing he would probably still be in the closet if he were in Guatemala, “it also feels good to give back to San Francisco,” Orantes said.

Anyone interested in joining Trailhead Gays can register online for free.

More outdoor Bay Area Pride events this month

Queer Art Workshop

June 13 @ 9:30 a.m., hosted by Branching Out Adventures

Visit Antonelli Pond in Santa Cruz for a workshop on queer art and capturing landscape with artist Taylor Seamount. All skill levels welcome.

Birding with Pride

June 20 @ 8 a.m., hosted by the Santa Clara Valley Bird Alliance

A leisurely 2-mile visit to Ulistac Natural Area showcases the diversity and resilience of nature in the heart of the Santa Clara Valley.

Queer History Walking Tour

June 20 @ 9:45 a.m., hosted by San Francisco Hiking Club

A 5.5-mile hike starting from the Ferry Building brings hikers back in time for a guided walking tour of San Francisco’s queer history.