Mikah Meyer is running across the state to launch his new program, Outside Safe Safe, which promotes diversity and inclusivity in the outdoors. Compass caught up with Meyer in Montevideo.
My name is Mikah Meyer, and I live in downtown Minneapolis normally, but right now I'm living in this Winnebago Solis as I run across the state of Minnesota. The reason I'm doing that is to launch this new program I began called the Outside Safe Space. The goal of this program really is to give people an opportunity to communicate that they are accepting of LGBTQ+ people in the outdoors.
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From 2016 to 2019, I spent three years visiting all 419 of our U.S. National Park Service sites and that took me to every state and territory to urban centers and rural areas. And what I learned during that time is while we have these bubbles in America where LGBT people are really accepted, a lot of LGBT people don't feel safe or welcomed to come experience America's great outdoors.
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So, this program is meant to give allies a way to communicate their acceptance to people and help show that they are one and they are welcome in the outdoors.
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When I go to a symphony, or show at the Orpheum in downtown Minneapolis, or walk through a downtown core, I feel totally safe to hold my boyfriend's hand and not worry that anyone would say anything negative. Four miles into my run starting at the South Dakota border, somebody yelled out the window and called me a gay slur.
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So, I think there's this stereotype that rural areas are less accepting, in part because a lot of LGBT people have left those areas for urban centers just to be around more people who are like them. I think people who are in rural areas almost have to be a little more vocal or visible about their allyship and their support, and make sure that they let people know that they're accepting of LGBTQ people, if they are, and programs like the Outside Safe Space one are meant to help give them a nonverbal way to do that. As Minnesotans we don't always like to verbalize our feelings, so you can almost think of this as a passive aggressive way that you can tell LGBTQ+ people that you accept them.
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The run is 38 days, and I have to average six miles per day to finish on my goal date of October 11. Last year, there was a blizzard on October 10, which is one of the reasons why I feel I need to finish by then just to be safe for weather.
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Some days I'm gonna run longer, some days I'm gonna run shorter, based on how my legs are feeling that day and based on the weather. My first day I did 13.1 miles, my second day, I did a little over six and then I took a rest day because my legs were tired. And my doctor said you should take rest days too. So, part of it is my physical health base.
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And then another part of it is just wanting to experience Minnesota. I'm probably gonna take a rest day tomorrow and explore Montevideo and go to Granite Falls and get to experience and adventure in my home state.
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I stopped at the Dairy Queen in Dawson, Minnesota. That was the end location of day number two, and it was just chatting up the manager there while waiting for my ice cream and she thought it was super cool. We actually started talking about politics and it seemed like we're from pretty different places, but it was so cool to hear her relate so much to my story. She actually shared that she has a child with special needs and that her child doesn't always feel welcome in the outdoors. Just really being able to relate to that humanity and our shared stories, even if maybe her perception of gay people was some character she's seen on TV. So, it's been great to meet people locals and realize we're all just humans. We all just wanna love and be loved.
