Celebrate Pride Month – June 2023
WI Green Fire, June 12, 2023
By Carolyn Pralle, WGF Communications Coordinator
Happy Pride Month! Respecting, honoring, and celebrating the LGBTQ+ community is a core part of who we are at Wisconsin’s Green Fire (WGF). As a nonpartisan and independent member-supported organization, we’re powered by the diverse perspectives, backgrounds, and interests of our conservation community. We’re proud of the diverse identities among our members, including our LGBTQ+ members!
In our Spring 2023 issue of Confluences, our Board President Tom Jerow reflected on his experiences as a gay man working in conservation in Wisconsin over the past 40+ years. He wrote, “Today the LGBTQ+ community is better accepted but systemic homophobia is still with us. It is heartening, however, to see more acceptance particularly among our younger generation of aspiring conservation professionals. If we all work together toward an inclusive and accepting environment, life will get better for everyone.”
WGF President Jerow continued, “At Wisconsin’s Green Fire, one goal of our recently adopted strategic plan is to work toward a more inclusive conservation community that benefits from the participation of both the LGBTQ+ and BIPOC communities.”
Here are two of the ways we’re building that inclusive culture into our organization:
- We’re taking a leadership role in the DEIJ Community of Practice for Wisconsin Conservation, a community of 92+ organizations across Wisconsin. You can join in too by filling out this form.
- We’re building DEIJ ethos and practices into our efforts with every one of our WGF Work Groups. We’re actively seeking and using feedback from our members about our DEIJ initiatives.
So, let’s be clear: if you are lesbian, gay, bi, trans, non-binary, queer, questioning, ace, two-spirit, or another identity we didn’t name here (or a straight ally) and you share our commitment to science and conservation, you are welcome and encouraged to be a part of Wisconsin’s Green Fire!
We want to hear from you, including your input on how we can be more inclusive as an organization. Reach out to our Communications Coordinator, Carolyn Pralle, at cpralle@wigreenfire.org or find us on social media.
Photo: Rainbow over Paddock Lake, Wisconsin. Via Wikimedia Commons.