MISSISSIPPI, USA — Mikah Meyers, a University of Memphis graduate, started a program called Outside Safe Spaces (OSS) to help create more welcoming outdoor spaces for LGBTQ+ people.
After visiting every U.S. national park in 2018, Meyers noticed that outdoor and rural spaces were not as welcoming to LGBTQ+ people, which prompted him to create OSS. A rainbow-colored tree serves as a non-verbal way to signify that people in those spaces welcome LGBTQ+ people.
After running for awareness in Minnesota in September 2020, Meyers wanted to continue his mission. So, he made a poll on Instagram to find the most homophobic state in America.
Followers put in their votes and Mississippi ended up being the winner of the poll. So, he headed to Mississippi to run the width of the state.
He persisted to run the 170 miles even in below-freezing conditions over the past several days.
To celebrate the end of his Mississippi running journey, he had a socially distant finale at Horseshoe Casino in Tunica on February 28th.
To find out more about his program and donate to his cause, you can visit his website here.
