Pride: Role Models - The Importance of Authentic Queer Representation in Zoos and Aquariums

This month, in celebration of PRIDE and BIAZA Generations of Pride, we are giving space to LGBT+ voices from across the BIAZA membership. The PRIDE blogs will provide a snapshot of the experiences of LGBT+ people working in the zoo sector and highlight diversity across the animal kingdom too.

As a young member of the queer community, I recognise that there are many struggles the community have gone through and overcome that I cannot remember or relate to. The UK AIDS crisis had already unfolded and HIV was a treatable and manageable condition by the time I was born, and the incredibly damaging Section 28 legislation, which deprived generations of queer people of the chance to see themselves represented, was repealed when I was only 5. But the damaging legacy of Section 28, and the attitudes that allowed it to be upheld, could still be seen well into my teenage years, through the lack of authentic LGBTQIA+ role models I saw.

Growing up, media portrayals of queer people were few and far between and many played on damaging stereotypes - making it even harder for those authentic voices to come out, for risk of facing stigma and abuse. This absence was also seen in real life, and through a childhood of visiting zoos, knowing I wanted to work in one someday, I can’t remember ever seeing a visibly queer employee. This made coming out as bisexual a pretty scary prospect for me, as I wasn’t sure I’d be accepted if I showed who I really was.

Nowadays, media representation is catching up, with new shows like Heartstopper showcasing authentic queer characters - and zoos are catching up too. Through the Generations of Pride campaign, BIAZA are showcasing just how strong and diverse the LGBTQIA+ community is in UK zoos, and the huge range of positive role models there are working for BIAZA collections.  

I may not have had many role models growing up, but I have since my zoo career began. In fact, it’s only through my time working and volunteering in zoos that I have been able to fully accept who I am, and how I like to present myself to the world - usually bedecked in dangly earrings, jazzy nail polish and obnoxiously brightly-coloured hair. At the risk of embarrassing him, I’ll say that it was through working with Simon Dowell from Chester Zoo that I first experienced a gay man living openly at work in this sector, and he empowered me to embrace my own identity - and I am truly, truly grateful for it.

This is a really important role that zoos can have - by creating an accepting culture and empowering LGBTQIA+ staff members to be authentically themselves around their colleagues and audiences, zoos can foster a shift towards inclusivity and inspire LGBTQIA+ visitors. By visibly supporting queer staff, zoos send a powerful message of acceptance to the broader community, showing they are welcome in the sector. The importance of this to any queer individuals looking to get into the conservation sector cannot be understated. 

I am proud to greet our visitors with the real, authentic me and show everyone that comes through our gates that they don’t have to fit into a box. There are countless versions that each of us could be, and we get to choose which one fits best. And no matter which version we choose, there is a place for everyone in conservation. 

- Connor Davies (he/him/his), Engagement and Learning Presenter - Bristol Zoological Society
BIAZA Diversity, Equity, Accessibility & Inclusion Working Group Member

All blogs reflect the views of their author and are not a reflection of BIAZA's positions.