Pride Blog: Authenticity, Acceptance, and Animals

Darcey Noble-Smith, Elephant Keeper at West Midlands Safari Park, on the meaning of Pride in both the zoological landscape, and beyond:

My experience of being a part of the LGBTQIA+ community, is what I believe should be a relatively normal one even though I recognise this isn’t always the case for everyone. I don’t have stories of not being accepted, as my family have always been open to the LGBTQIA+ community and I grew up with role models such as John Barrowman, who is open about his sexuality and has always championed gay rights. I came out to my parents while I stood chopping carrots, they responded as though it was completely normal and not something that can be highly stigmatised in society. I met more resistance over my decision to get tattoos rather than the gender I love. 

When telling my mom that I’m a lesbian, she responded “well duh Darce,” which made me feel really seen as a 15-year-old girl. My mom swears she knew well before I came out, making her one of the best psychics I know, as even I didn’t realise fully before then. I am really lucky to have such a supportive family who have always not only loved me unconditionally for who I am but have also supported me with my love for animals. I have had some questioning looks and raised eyebrows over the species I have smuggled into the house over the years, including, but not limited to, a giant African land snail, some stick insects and a very chunky rescue mouse called Dobby. 

My love for animals started at very young age and grew more and more as I studied them. As a testament to how amazingly supportive my family is, my dad is the one who found the advertisement for the internship at West Midlands Safari Park. I secured the position at the age of 18 with the help and guidance of my family. Over the years, I worked my way up and I am now an elephant keeper at WMSP, working with a friendly and dedicated team. I can honestly say it has been a dream of mine to work with such a challenging and complex species. One thing I have always found is animals do not care about; your sexuality, your appearance, or your rubbish taste in music that you blast whilst scooping their poop. Animals do not discriminate or judge you for being yourself. The only thing animals really care about is when they are  getting fed and often the odd over ripe banana!

I have always lived by the motto “I am what I am,” which comes from the brilliant stage show La Cage aux Folles which is all about learning to accept yourself as you are. With lyrics stating “I am what I am and what I am needs no excuses” it’s hard not to hold my head up high and shout out that I am unashamedly proud to be me and openly out of the closet. This applies not only to your sexuality but who you are as a person. I can’t say I have never experienced homophobia - the world we live in still has a lot of growing to do, however the friends I have made during my time at WMSP, including both the people in the LGBTQIA+ community and the allies, have cemented in my mind that I am surrounded by wonderfully supportive people. This is one of the reasons why Pride Month is so important - to help people learn about other types of relationships and families, besides the heteronormative standard that is often presented in the mainstream media. This often pops up in unexpected ways, such as the fantastic episode of Clarkson’s farm where Jeremy Clarkson finds out that gay animals exist after purchasing a five grand bull that was definitely not interested in the females.

I never feel the need to justify who or what I am. I am not the type of person to brag about my sexuality however I do not hide in fear of offending someone with my authentic self. The people who know me, know that I pride myself on being open and honest. I do not tolerate being anything less than me, especially during a month where we celebrate people’s individuality and I will definitely not be changing myself to seek other people’s approval. Love is love in both the animal kingdom and humankind; nobody should be forced to settle for anything less.

 - Darcey Noble-Smith, WMSP Elephant Keeper