It’s Pride month!
In memory of the 1969 Stonewall riots, June marks LGBTQ+ Pride month, where we celebrate the lives and identities of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Queer communities.
As part of our commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI), we highlight awareness days and months relevant to our work or to our staff and volunteers. The Wildlife Trusts encourage all staff to bring their whole self to work, which means celebrating our diversity and raising awareness about issues affecting our communities. By being an inclusive organisation, we are giving everyone the opportunity to do their best to help nature and conservation efforts. One of the key aims of The Wildlife Trusts is to encourage 1 in 4 people to take action for nature. There are many people in the LGBTQ+ community who have a true affinity and compassion for nature. 15% of Wildlife Trust staff members are LGB+ (lesbian, gay and bisexual), well above the national average of 3.3%, and 0.6% are transgender, which is slightly higher than the UK in general. With so many LGBTQ+ staff members it is really important for us to talk about and celebrate Pride.
Many of the LGBTQ+ community are no stranger to campaigning for things they believe in and causes that matter due to the need to fight for their own personal rights over the years. The Stonewall riots took place in 1969 at the Stonewall Inn in New York, when police raided a gay bar resulting in a week of rioting and protest. Spearheaded by black trans women, LGBTQ+ people stood up against oppression alongside allies of all kinds, in the face of overwhelming odds.
The following year in 1970, the first Pride parade was held in New York. Pride began as a protest and continues both as a celebration of the rights we’ve gained and a fight for those we are still lacking. So many LGBTQ+ people are great allies for nature but in order for them to be able to help us, we have to be allies to them.
Since 1972, there have been Pride parades held in the UK, even during the time of Section 28 when “the promotion of homosexuality” was banned between 1988 and 2003. As LGBTQ+ Pride month grows every year, The Wildlife Trusts are proud to be involved and a visible part of this fight.
Some people do not disclose being LGBTQ+ for their own privacy or out of fear of being rejected for who they are. As a transmasc person, I was assumed to be a girl when I was born but I express myself and identify as masculine, somewhere just slightly short of male. I do not ‘pass’ as a man, so I have no choice but to be ‘out’. For me to be called by my name, Jayke, and for people to know it means me, I do not have the choice of hiding my identity.
However, no one who is willing to work with us to protect nature should be forced to hide such a large part of their identity or family. If we are to be successful in protecting wildlife, then we must accept and welcome all people and every part of them. That is why it is our job to be open and visible, to talk about who we are and why we matter as part of the movement for nature. This is why we attend Pride parades and organise events around LGBTQ+ themes. So that when someone wants to become part of the solution we desperately need, they will know that they will be safe and welcomed. We hope that you will come and join us at London and Manchester Pride this year!
Finley Reynolds (They/He) – Out For Nature co-chair who is passionate about making nature spaces accessible for all.
Jayke Forshaw (He/They. Fo/Nhw) – Out for Nature co-chair who believes enjoying nature is the first step to wanting to protect it.
Out For Nature is The Wildlife Trusts staff network for employees who are part of the LGBTQ+ community. The purpose of the network is to give peer support, raise awareness and celebrate achievements for the LGBTQ+ community, and help LGBTQ+ people feel safe, supported and able to bring their full selves to work.