Biking for change: Former participant rides cross country to spotlight support for LGBTQIA+ survivors

A former Haven participant is biking across the country, raising money for nonprofits that support survivors in queer relationships, and trying to create a space for a conversation she says doesn’t happen often enough.

“In this time I’m hoping to create a space for a conversation asking us to address the reality of domestic violence in LGBTQIA+ communities, and how we can all do better to take care of and support each other,” Michaela wrote on her fundraising page. 

Michaela, a Bozeman resident, has already made it to Tennessee as of this writing – hundreds of miles into her anticipated cross-country bike ride. Her plan is to ride from the Atlantic to the Pacific, on dirt and gravel as much as possible, but that plan remains flexible. 

“What my trip ends up being, I’ll find out when I’m on the trail,” Michaela told us before she started the ride. “My whole job is listening to what I need and what my body needs. And if that means that I do 100 miles, 1000 miles, 5000 miles, whatever is the right choice for me, that’s an opportunity for me to reclaim my autonomy and make the decisions that are right for me.”

Michaela got in touch with Haven after leaving a relationship where she’d experienced harm. “Explaining my background and experiencing abuse in a queer relationship, and then being met back with validation and support was not something that I expected,” she said of her initial interactions with Haven advocates. “There was this acknowledgement that the relationship that I was in was with another woman, but it wasn't the center of my experience. I felt like I was seen as a whole person.”

You can follow and/or support Michaela’s bike trip in any of the following ways:

Haven programs, partnershipsBeth Kampschror