Nashville, Tennessee

Jedidiah Jenkins was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee. His parents were devout Christians, and the attended an Evangelical church. As a result, Jenkins was raised in a very homophobic environment, and he felt deep shame about his own homosexuality. Jenkins points out that Evangelical Christian communities are generally very insular, and thus his travel experiences in his adulthood helped to broaden his mind beyond the intolerant environment in which he was raised.

Los Angeles

Jenkins attended the University of Southern California for college. At the time, he had wanted to be a film director, but he soon realized that he was not suited to that profession. He felt devastated at the loss of this dream, but he soon accepted that dreams and goals are necessarily changeable. During Jenkins’ bike trip, he passed through Los Angeles, where he still has many friends. During the remainder of...