LGBT Truckers Ride With Pride, Raising Awareness Around Country

TAMPA BAY, FL — At the wheel of the Rainbow Rider, a semi-tractor truck wrapped in a rainbow-hued road map, the LGBT Truckers can't help but attract attention. And that's their intention.

The online support group, representing more than 4,500 lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender truck drivers nationwide, is on a mission to spread goodwill and promote awareness of the growing number of LGBT truckers around the country.

Throughout this year, the Rainbow Rider has made appearances at events from San Francisco on the west coast to Washington, D.C. on the east. But this week the truckers are wrapping up their whirlwind tour closer to home.

Their last stop of the year will be at a drag show fundraiser at VFW Post 39, 2599 Central Ave., St. Petersburg, where Tampa Bay entertainer, author and artist Victoria Michael has been working with the post to raise money to restore the VFW's 175-seat theater.

Founded in 1919, the 8,000-square-foot, two-story post at the corner of Central Avenue and 26th Street North is in dire need of renovation.

The fundraiser will take place Saturday, Dec. 28 at 7 p.m. and will feature two inaugural pageants -- Miss New Face and Miss Florida Trans Proud. The entry fee to enter is $25 and tickets to attend the fundraiser are $5.

LGBT Truckers was founded by Shelle Lichti in 2008 to honor a gay trucker friend who was targeted and gang-raped. He subsequently committed suicide.

Lichti, a trucker for 25 years, the last 11 years with Hirschbach Motor Lines out of East Dubuque, Iowa, said the Facebook group is intended to provide a safe place to talk about the gay bashing and other challenges so many LGBT truckers face in the traditionally macho world of trucking.

Instead of standing alone, the organization provides a support system and voice for LGBT truckers, said Bobby Coffey-Loy, vice president and marketing director for LGBT Truckers.

“The voice that’s being heard is not one person," he said. "We give recognition to the people that we’ve lost along the way, who can’t tell their stories. We give a voice to people who may never have the courage to come out, but show them life can be OK if they do.”

Coffey-Loy and is married to fellow truck driver Ricky Coffey. They call New Port Richey home but spend the majority of their time driving for Pure Freightlines in Franklin Park, Illinois, Coffey-Loy said it's a lifestyle they love.

"We have the best office window in the world that's forever changing," he said.

At the same time, life on the road can be demanding and lonely.

"We support one another's journey, let them know we're here, a family of truckers who knows exactly what they're dealing with daily," he said.

In the process of serving as a sounding board for LGBT truckers, the organization discovered dual purpose. The mobility of their chosen careers allows them to attend events around the country, serving as ambassadors and raising awareness of the increasing diversity in the trucking community.

To that end, Coffey-Loy said the community will be seeing a lot more of the LGBT Truckers during the coming year.