Perspectives on inclusion, safety, and belonging from members of the North American LGBTQIA+ conservation community.

Autor: Collins AC; The Nature Conservancy, Arlington, Virginia, USA., Feuka AB; Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA., Nelson J; Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA., Verahrami AK; Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA., Bombaci S; Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, Colorado, USA.
Jazyk: angličtina
Zdroj: Conservation biology : the journal of the Society for Conservation Biology [Conserv Biol] 2024 Dec; Vol. 38 (6), pp. e14389.
DOI: 10.1111/cobi.14389
Abstrakt: Conservation scientists work in diverse settings, sometimes requiring them to exist in spaces where they do not feel safe, included, or accepted. This is often the case for the LGBTQIA+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, and others) community, which is frequently marginalized in conservation spaces. We conducted an anonymous, semistructured, online survey of members and nonmembers of the LGBTQIA+ community of conservation students and professionals in North America to explore participants' lived experiences in conservation. Our 737 responses (response rate 26.8%) included 10% who identified as genderqueer, gender nonconforming, questioning, nonspecific, genderfluid, transgender woman, agender, transgender man, 2-spirit Indigenous, or intersex (gender expansive), and 29% as bisexual, queer, lesbian, gay, asexual, pansexual, omnisexual, questioning, or nonheterosexual (queer+). We found that non-LGBTQIA+ respondents overestimated the degree to which LGBTQIA+ respondents felt included in the field of conservation by 5% (sexual orientation) and 18% (gender identity). Respondents' feelings of safety and belonging were up to 50% lower in most work settings compared with non-LGBTQIA respondents; the lowest frequencies were reported by gender expansive respondents (40.9-64.4%). Contextual responses indicated that the lack of safety and belonging related to direct experiences of bullying (23 long-form descriptions out of 73 gender expansive respondents and 15 of 217 queer+ respondents), concerns around safety in rural settings (4 of 73 gender expansive respondents and 20 of 217 queer+ respondents), and concerns around not being able to express their authentic selves (7 of 73 gender expansive respondents and 5 of 217 queer+ respondents). The intersection between gender identity and race also played a role in feelings of safety, belonging, and disclosure of sexual orientation (1 of 73 gender expansive respondents, 6 of 217 queer+ respondents). The most frequent support resources used by LGBTQIA+ conservation scientists included one-on-one support from peers, mentors and external collaborators, support group, and wellness and counseling services outside of work.
(© 2024 The Author(s). Conservation Biology published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of Society for Conservation Biology.)
Databáze: MEDLINE
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