By Elizabeth Cannan-Knight
Lesbian Journeys, a travel and support group, was founded by 49-year-old community member Charity Reed. The organization aims to provide a safe and enjoyable space for lesbians to be their authentic selves among like-minded individuals. Charity identified a need for more tangible, in-person meetups, emphasizing the importance of meaningful connections over casual chit-chat prevalent in queer spaces.
Over time, the organization has experienced significant success, extending its reach to out-of-state travel. Notable trips, such as one to Texas in September, and potential future ventures, like a cruise, underscore the group’s commitment to creating accessible yet secure environments. Charity ensures that meetups occur at LGBTQIA-owned or ally locations, and for larger travel events, accommodations are sourced from LGBTQIA or allied Airbnb hosts after prior communication.
A large element of Lesbian Journeys is the support group and life coaching aspect. Charity said, “In the future, I would like to become a late-life coach. My passion is in working with late-life lesbians.” Late-life lesbians, according to her, are an underserved and often incredibly hard-hit group of the queer community. Many grapple with barriers such as existing marriages or religious beliefs, making the coming-out process more difficult. “They need people who can say, hey, this way, the light is at the end of this tunnel,” she explained.
Charity remembers when she was in that position and wants to continue to help grow Lesbian Journeys into even more of a life-coaching organization, to help build those bridges between who a person currently is and who they want to be. “That journey of holding each others’ hands, guiding another woman as she realizes her sexuality and struggles… the conflicts that come about when you come out late in life. For a lot of us, we were raised that we’re supposed to grow up and marry a man and take care of the family and take care of the husband and take care of the house and just take care of everybody… and we’re supposed to live this life that we were raised to live,” Charity said..
As for the future, Charity is looking forward to a future that’s bigger than ever for this quickly growing, quickly changing organization. One of her big goals, she explained, is to get a website up and running for the organization and start to build out the basis from which to start one-on-one and membership-based coaching. There will also be continued events and traveling with the group.
Charity emphasizes that Lesbian Journeys transcends being merely a travel group. It provides a space for acceptance, growth, and change, uniting individuals who share common experiences. With this vision, Charity is confident that Lesbian Journeys will thrive well into the future.
To learn more about Lesbian Journeys, visit https://www.facebook.com/groups/2106673632863647.
