EXCLUSIVE: The true story of the rainbow-colored semi-truck that’s inspiring pride across the country
The documentary short 'Rainbow Rider' tells the story of Shelle Lichti and her colorful rig that's turning heads everywhere it goes.
Mark
If you’ve ever had the good fortune of spotting a semi-truck with a rainbow-painted rig blazing its way across the highways of Anywhere, USA, you’ve probably thought to yourself, “Wow, I bet there’s a good story there!”
And you’d be right!
How about we take this to the next level?
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For over 25 years, Shelle Lichti has been a professional trucker, and she’s been a proudly outspoken lesbian every mile of the way. In 2008, after a fellow gay driver had been brutally harassed at a truck stop and tragically took his own life, she founded the LGBT Truckers group in an effort to provide community & support for the thousands of other queer folks in her line of work.
And with her rainbow-wrapped big rig, bearing all kinds of road signs & Pride flags, Shelle has made herself the group’s mascot—a colorful ode to living out loud, no matter where life takes you.
But as powerful as that visibility is, there’s also a real danger. Shelle will be the first to tell you she & her rig have been shot at on a number of occasions, had airlines cut, break-lights disconnected, tires stabbed, and have been called just about ever homophobic slur imaginable.
And yet the Rainbow Rider keeps on truckin’.
In the new documentary short Rainbow Rider, filmmaker Georgia Krause follows Shelle out on the open road through all the highs, lows, scenic routes and pit stops of her cross-country lifestyle. Queerty is honored to share an exclusive look at the trailer below:
Produced by Tran Hoang Calvin (A Clean Slate) for NODEHAUS Media, the film is set to make have its world premiere at the Oscar-qualifying Mountainfilm festival in Telluride, CO over Memorial Day weekend, a defiant and empowering display of “queer joy on wheels” at a time when our LGBTQ+ community is being told to diminish and hide our ourselves from the highest levels of our government.
An Executive Producer on the project, Sav Rodgers (Chasing Chasing Amy, the upcoming Pancake Skank) tells Queerty he was ready to climb on board the Rainbow Rider from the very first Krause told him about the project:
“What felt so urgent to me about Shelle’s story is that it lands in a moment where queer people are under attack with this current rise in global fascism,” he shares. “Visibility alone doesn’t solve everything, but it’s still invaluable, and Georgia Krause captures how Shelle keeps showing up authentically, even when it would be easier or safer not to, holding both the vulnerability and resilience of this community right now.”
And that’s apparent in the film when the Rainbow Rider rolls up to the “Super Truck Beauty Contest” at the annual Walcott Truck Jamboree (because, yes, truckers have pageants, too!). Even in the middle of rural Iowa, Shelle and her rig draw in the gays from far & wide, inspired by this unapologetic show of pride.
Rodgers says learning about the beauty contest is what had him hooked, but he was even more surprised to find that Shelle is just one of many, many queer truckers navigating our country’s bumpy roads. In that sense, she is our charming, take-no-sh*t guide off the beaten path, shining on a light for the people who, in many ways, are the backbone of America.
“So many folks in our community are already living what Shelle represents: continuing to show up authentically, pushing for acceptance, and refusing to back down even when it comes at a personal cost,” Rodgers adds. “What I hope audiences take from her story is a reminder that visibility and persistence really do matter, and that courage can inspire connection in places you least expect.”
Rainbow Rider will screen in Mountainfilm’s “Indomitable Spirit” shorts block, first on Friday, May 22nd, at 2:30 PM, and then on Saturday, May 23rd, at 12:15 PM with Georgia Krause and Shelle Lichti in attendance—and you better believe the Rainbow Rider big rig will be there, too!
After that, the film plans to keep rolling right along on the festival circuit, so be sure to follow on Instagram for all of the latest updates!
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