Notable Queer Climbers

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Alex Johnson is an American boulderer and one of the most visible openly LGBTQ+ professional climbers in the US. Johnson publicly came out in 2018 ^[1] and has described it as one of her proudest accomplishments.

I’ve been dating both boys and girls since I was 17. Growing up I didn’t think this was cool so I never talked about it. I was wrong, it is pretty cool. ^[4]

References

[1] https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/love-humor/alex-johnson-talks-about-pride-month-and-shares-her-story/

[2] https://www.outsports.com/2019/7/29/8933028/olympics-rock-climber-lgbtq-alex-johnson-tokyo-2020/

[3] https://www.mountainhardwear.com/col_us_sp20_alexjohnson.html

[4] https://www.instagram.com/alexjohnson89/p/Bie59qWAqpd/

Campbell Harrison is an Australian competition climber who became the first openly gay climber to compete in Olympic climbing at Paris 2024, a major milestone for LGBTQ+ visibility in the sport.

After homophobic comments were left under an official Olympics Instagram post featuring Harrison kissing his boyfriend Justin, he spoke out publicly in defence of queer athletes and representation:

We often tell ourselves that society as a whole is becoming more progressive, or that things are “getting better”…

But the reality is there’s a reason why you see so few out, queer athletes in sport…. And that’s because we’re still not safe here… yet.

Pride matters. Representation matters.

It’s homophobes and bigots that should feel unwelcome in sport. Not me. Not Justin. Not queer people just trying to live our lives without having to lie about and hide who we are. ^[1]

References

[1] https://www.outsports.com/2024/6/25/24096763/campbell-harrison-olympics-instagram-post-online-hate-gay-lgbtq-climbing/

[2] https://www.outsports.com/2024/6/6/24094783/paris-2024-olympics-campbell-harrison-gay-sport-climbers/

Carson Crane is an American mountaineer who became the first openly LGBTQ+ person to complete the Seven Summits in 2013.

References

[1] https://abcnews.go.com/US/reaching-heights-meet-1st-openly-lgbt-person-climb/story?id=78507530

Cat Runner is a trans woman and winner of The Climb (2023). She is founder of the Queer Climbers Network and co-founder of Trans Climbers Belong, helping build visibility and community for LGBTQ+ climbers.

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/transclimbersbelong/

Freda Du Faur was an Australian mountaineer and one of the leading amateur climbers of the early 20th century. In 1910, she became the first woman to climb Aoraki / Mount Cook, later completing numerous major ascents in the Southern Alps.

Du Faur had a long-term close relationship with Muriel Cadogan, her trainer at Sydney’s Dupain Institute of Physical Education and a key figure in Sydney’s feminist movement. Their relationship is widely interpreted as romantic, though this is not definitively documented. Du Faur later moved with Cadogan to England, where she published The Conquest of Mount Cook and Other Climbs in 1915.

After Cadogan’s death in 1929, Du Faur returned to Australia and lived a withdrawn life. She died by suicide in 1935, aged 52.

References

[1] https://www.makingqueerhistory.com/articles/2020/11/29/emmeline-freda-du-faur-i

[2] https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/du-faur-emmeline-freda-6025

[3] https://teara.govt.nz/en/biographies/3d17/du-faur-emmeline-freda

[4] https://www.neighbourhoodmedia.com.au/post/freda-du-faur-cloud-piercer

Gavin Albright is an American climber who publicly came out as non-binary in 2024. Since then, they have won the inaugural non-binary categories at Salt Lake City’s Boulderfest and San Francisco’s Battle of the Bay. Alongside their competition success, Albright has climbed multiple 8B boulders outdoors and routes up to 8c.

References

[1] https://thebcroadrunner.com/6735/sports/climbing-walls-and-breaking-barriers-the-story-of-gavin-albright/

Geoffrey Winthrop Young was a major British mountaineer, writer, Alpine Club president, and founder of The BMC. Later climbing histories have discussed Young as gay or bisexual, at a time in Britain when this could not be safely discussed.

References

[1] https://thebmc.co.uk/lgbtq-stories-bmc

[2] https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/features/climbing_with_pride_an_insight_into_the_lgbt_community-7764

[3] https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12199633100/Geoffrey-Winthrop-Young-Poet-Educator-Mountaineer

Ian Cooper is a British climber with hard ascents across trad, sport, bouldering, and big-wall climbing. Cooper has been involved with ClimbOut, a queer outdoor climbing festival.

References

[1] https://climbout.org/climbout-archive/speakers-and-guests-2024/ian-cooper-they-them/

[2] https://www.instagram.com/p/DKZIKSUNqtZ/

John Menlove Edwards was a pioneering British rock climber of the 1930s, responsible for many influential first ascents in Snowdonia and widely regarded as one of the great writers in climbing literature. Menlove was gay, and lived at a time when homosexuality was criminalised in Britain, a reality that has become an important part of how his life and legacy are understood.

References

[1] https://www.ukclimbing.com/articles/series/literature/mountain_literature_classics_menlove-15022

[2] https://publications.americanalpineclub.org/articles/12198631902/Menlove-The-Life-of-John-Menlove-Edwards

[3] https://www.prideexpeditions.co.uk/blogs/paying-homage-to-an-openly-gay-talented-rock-climber-of-the-1930s

Jordan Cannon is an American big wall climber known for fast ascents and linkups in Yosemite. He publicly came out as gay on his 27th birthday in 2021, saying climbing had helped him find confidence and pride after growing up without queer role models. Since then, he has become a visible advocate for LGBTQ+ representation in climbing, writing about the need for openly gay climbers in alpinism and helping found Queer Ascent.

References

[1] https://www.outsideonline.com/culture/essays-culture/professional-climber-jordan-cannon-comes-out-gay/

[2] Birthday coming out Instagram post https://www.instagram.com/p/COXoEEDDgTP/

[3] Runout Podcast coming out episode https://runoutpodcast.com/index.php/2021/05/03/runout-61-jordan-comes-out/

[4] So the World Can See You (2024 article) https://hiddencompass.net/story/so-the-world-can-see-you/

Lor Sabourin is a non-binary American trad climber known for hard crack climbing, including becoming the first out non-binary person to climb 5.14 trad. Sabourin has spoken about the importance of representation and visibility for LGBTQ+ climbers.

References

[1] https://www.climbing.com/culture-climbing/interview-lor-sabourin-first-non-binary-climber-to-send-5-14a-trad/

[2] https://www.climbing.com/culture-climbing/every-climber-should-get-representation-but-climbing-community-isnt-entirely-onboard-lor-sabourin-works-to-change-that/

Melina Costanza is an American competition climber and boulderer who has been publicly open about her queer identity.

Growing up LGBT, I always knew I’d face disadvantages. I’ll never forget the love and acceptance I felt at my first Pride parade, but I also won’t forget when my Uber driver pulled up to the curb at the end of the day, noticed my rainbow flag, and drove off without me. This instance lingers in the back of my mind, a constant reminder of the unequal treatment I may always receive. ^[1]

References

[1] https://www.instagram.com/p/CCEO7bDjBim/

Taylor Parsons is a trans woman and the first Australian to climb V15.

Taylor spent many years as an elite climber while hiding her identity, including from herself, and has since transitioned. On her Jam Crack Climbing Podcast episode ^[1], Taylor told her deeply personal story about identity, climbing, transition, and motherhood, including discussion of suicide and self-harm.

References

[1] Podcast with Niall Grimes, originally recorded in 2021 and then re-released in 2025 https://open.spotify.com/episode/5NHG7EfwMMQnphpUyAIm2Z