Our Story: The Make-or-Break Moment for Queer Storytelling

We're at a crossroads. Gay Men's Field Guide launched this year with a mission bigger than survival—to create the first truly accessible platform where queer stories of resilience, adventure, and healing can thrive. But right now, we're fighting through the brutal reality of startup life. Bills are piling up, platform costs are mounting, and we're making tough choices between keeping the lights on and keeping our servers running. This is our make-or-break moment.

I'm Upton Rand—got sober in 2015, survived abuse and addiction, and spent a decade as a journeyman tool-and-die maker while becoming a three-time published author (Urban Adventures, Gay Campgrounds, Gay Campgrounds Revisited). I built Gay Men's Field Guide because I know what it's like to navigate this world without a roadmap. Our bilingual, screen-reader optimized platform isn't just another website—it's a lifeline for queer folks who need accessible stories that reflect their struggles and celebrate their adventures. Every campground guide, every hidden gem, every piece of content proves our community's experiences matter.

Here's how you become part of the solution: Your $50 gets you our exclusive Pride Tee—vintage compass design on vivid fuchsia-purple cotton, shipped by end of August. But you're really investing in something bigger. Your donation keeps our platform online, funds our next wave of content, and proves that queer storytelling deserves to survive and thrive. We're not just asking for help—we're offering you a chance to be part of launching the resilient queer platform our community has been waiting for.

Donate $50 now. Claim your Pride Tee. Help us turn this make-or-break moment into our breakthrough year.

How Your Gift (and Swag) Gets To You

$25 – Supporter

No merch, just our eternal gratitude and a shout-out in our next campaign update.
$50 – Claim Pride Tee

Donate $50, enter your shipping address at checkout, and we’ll mail you our limited-edition “Field Guide” Pride Tee. Just cover the standard shipping cost.
$100 – VIP Bundle

Donate $100, and we’ll send you the Pride Tee plus a GMFG enamel pin and sticker pack—perfect for your backpack or laptop.
$150 – Road Warrior Package

Your $150 gift gets the Tee, pin, stickers and a digital “Gay Men’s Field Guide” PDF packed with travel tips and hidden queer-friendly gems.
$250 – Founders’ Circle

All Road Warrior perks plus early access to our next merch drop and your name in the “Thank You” section of our website’s masthead.
$500 – Proof Problem Solver

Our highest gratitude: we’ll mail you a custom-designed GMFG hoodie, feature your name/logo on our Champions page, and invite you to a private Zoom hang with Upton Rand.
$1,000 – Platinum Trailblazer

Everything above, plus a one-on-one trip-planning call with Upton to map your next queer adventure, plus lifetime VIP email updates on all GMFG projects.

How It Works:

Pick your tier above and donate.
Provide your shipping address (and tee size) at checkout.
We handle all fulfillment—no promo codes, no extra forms.

Every gift fuels our make-or-break mission to keep queer stories accessible, resilient, and blazing new trails. Thanks for being part of the journey!

Save the field Guide, Save Inclusive Spaces for the Blind

By Gay Mens Field Guide llc

Save the field Guide, Save Inclusive Spaces for the Blind

Limited-edition Pride tee fueling queer adventures & community growth

Team Members