IMAGE:
PAT
TIE
G
ONIA
Since 20 18, you’ve climbed five of the peaks that make up
the Seven Summits challenge, with just Everest and Denali
still to go. What inspired you? I’d always been a traveller,
but when I transitioned, I gave up a lot of the freedom and
safety I had previously [living as a man]. I became fearful
of exploring the world. So, when I looked at the Seven
Summits, it just scratched every itch: I wanted to feel
strong and proud in my body, be myself and get back out
into the world. It also gave me an opportunity to show other
trans people that we’re doing incredible things and we
shouldn’t be afraid of our daily existence. What we should
be more afraid of is climbing huge mountains!
Why did your feelings towards travel change after you
transitioned? My yearning for adventure became a lot
more complicated. I experienced violence and ridicule — in
my own city, even in my own office — and I became scared
to explore circles beyond my own. I’m very aware that
around a dozen countries in the world have laws that allow
them to kill people who are LGBTQ+. Around 70 have other
laws where discrimination is in some way codified.
Now there’s a lot more happening to help trans and non-
binary travellers, and we have more access to information.
I see so many of us climbing, thru-hiking [hiking with
camping equipment] and doing amazing things outdoors
— what the whole adventure travel industry can do is
share and promote those narratives, so it’s a little less
unexpected when we turn up.
Which of the mountains you’ve climbed has been your
favourite? How could it not be Mount Vinson? At one point,
I was afraid to even go to my local grocery store. To go from
fearing bigotry in public to becoming the first trans person
to climb the highest point in Antarctica was huge for me.
I’ve taken that trans flag to a place I could have never seen
it raised.How important is representation? It’s huge. In a lot of
different countries, laws are being passed that say you can’t
even talk about being trans or being gay. When I went to
Russia to climb its highest summit, Mount Elbrus, there
was a law that said I couldn’t raise the rainbow flag at
the top. And in the US, we have restrictive laws in a lot of
schools, so many kids are growing up with a sense that they
don’t belong, that nobody has their back.
I grew up before any wider social awareness of the
LGBTQ+ sphere, so it just went without saying: don’t talk
about who you are. So, to stand on mountains, bust out
a trans flag and say, “I’m not going to sit in the shadows
anymore. I’m going to hoist this thing high and proud,” is
helping to bring that representation to people that need it
— to those who feel alone. Because I really needed it. I just
needed to see one positive role model. One life that didn’t
end in death or discrimination.How are you training for Everest? I live in Colorado, where I
do a lot of high-altitude alpinism and mountaineering year-
round. It really has been a tough progression towards the
bigger mountains. You can’t prepare for 29,000ft anywhere!
I partake in mental coaching, too, which has taught me
just as much as my physical training. It’s now my biggest
focus. I was getting really down about current affairs; it
seems every day a state passes a new law that’s anti-trans.
If you let injustice get into your brain, it weighs a lot. You
can’t carry that up a mountain. I need to focus on the climb.What’s been your biggest challenge to date? Despite
everything I’ve done, coming out, 10 years ago, was my
biggest challenge. Those first words were the hardest thing.
But I found support in that situation and it was awesome.What’s next? A lot of people who complete the Seven
Summits go on to complete the Explorer’s Grand Slam,
which includes reaching the North and South Pole. I’ve
never had that path in mind, but I do want to see another
trans person reach the poles. We’ve got to raise that flag
there. INTERVIEW: N O R A WALLAYAFollow Erin’s journey by visiting the TranSending website, which
helps to facilitate outdoor adventures and training for transgender
athletes. Erin aims to complete the Seven Summits challenge in 2023.
transending7.org
@erinsends^7READ THE FULL
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THE AMERICAN MOUNTAINEER IS SET TO BECOME THE FIRST TRANS WOMAN
TO SUMMIT THE HIGHEST PEAK ON EACH OF THE SEVEN CONTINENTS
Erin Parisi