This year the Avon Wildlife Trust Communities and Engagement Team decided to celebrate Pride Month by cultivating a safe space for LGBT folks and allies to explore themes around the intersections of nature, community, and identity. On the night, three fantastic local speakers shared stories and wisdom, before the celebrations continued with a delicious meal and live folk music.
Team Wilder Community Campfire: Pride
When you think of a Wildlife Trust, you probably don’t think of rainbow flags and Pride celebrations. But did you know that Pride has always had nature at its heart? The colours of the flag represent different values and nature is right in the centre, represented by green.
Alex Dommett
Robi Watkinson, a queer British-Indian international conservation-biologist, shed light on some powerful personal experiences. He said, ‘there are still many countries where being queer is illegal or carries the death penalty’, causing him to have to turn down work. Poignantly speaking to the need for representation, he also passionately highlighted that in many countries this sector is not keeping up with the diversity of societies, ‘meanwhile the impacts of environmental change disproportionately affect these members of society, due to inherent structural inequalities’. He concluded by explaining that ‘conservation and environmentalism is political, and conservation without politics, is just gardening.’
Ruby Scott-Geddes, a local foraging walk leader, talked about finding acceptance and joy in the natural world. ‘It all started when I was young, and all my friends were exclusively woodlice’, shared Ruby playfully. ‘[When I became a teenager] the experience of isolation in not seeing myself anywhere within the human world led me to go back to the woodlice and I started walking around woodlands again [...] suddenly I could just be, in the way that the trees just are.’
Alex Dommett
Similarly, three years ago, Lou Lloyd started to split their time: living and working four days a week in a woodland in Wales, with the other three in Bristol, continuing their thrity-five year career in a desk-based corporate environment. In their talk, they wove together the lived experience of being a queer person in a city and how this has given them the skills to live in the woods- that living and working in somewhat unsafe environments under stress has built resilience to uncertainty and the capacity to face challenging situations. They also spoke to the power of being in nature as a queer person, jokingly sharing - ‘I talk out loud, because no one is around and I can be my full self’.
Alex Dommett
Rhea Warner, Community Organiser at the Trust, spoke to the significance of the event.
‘I’m sure we are all aware of the catastrophic climate realities looming in our world. Meanwhile, it’s also becoming scarily normal to hear transphobic and homophobic comments in our mainstream media. There is a need for people to come together and be brave enough to have some difficult conversations, to listen better to each other, and to hold space for community joy'.
Community Campfires are Avon Wildlife Trust’s way of bringing people together to inspire local action for nature and this pride event demonstrated the power and joy that arises when people share stories and act together.
Get Involved:
Team Wilder is a growing movement of people, are actively working to support nature’s recovery. Get inspiration how you can take action for nature, get free ecological advice, read case-studies about other nature lovers and share your own stories. Join Team Wilder today!
- Enter the wildlife gardening competition and share what you do for nature. We’re looking to show the real beauty of wildlife friendly gardens, community spaces and schools.
- Book time with Amie, the Team Wilder Community Ecologist. Get free professional advice to help bring back nature in your garden, community space or school ground.
- Check out the stories and resources, based on real local experiences.
- Share what you do for nature on the Team Wilder actions map – to help this movement get going and create green corridors and inspiration for all.
You can contact Sophie.Bancroft@avonwildlifetrust.org.uk if you have ideas, requests or content for Team Wilder – inspiring and equipping people in Avon to take action for nature and to be proud of it.
Find out more about the speakers
Ruby Scott-Geddes
Robi Watkinson
Lou Lloyd