Time: 8 pm IST onwards
Date: 21st October 2024 (Conference Day-1)
Where: Online, Zoom

Register for the 2024 SCCS Queer Circle here! https://forms.gle/LBph8rtDQBazMxrV8
The meeting link will be shared via email with all those who register.

You: A field ecologist / conservation scientist who self-identifies as Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual/Pansexual, Transgender, Questioning, Intersex or Asexual/Aromantic (collectively, queer, or LGBTQIA+).

We: Three queer conservation practitioners.

Careers in Ecology and Conservation can be hard. It can be harder if you identify as queer. The life of an LGBTQIA+ conservationist/ecologist can be particularly challenging when awareness is low, and discrimination and acceptance varies across workspaces from urban offices to the field. These challenges are rarely discussed, acknowledged, or supported. We want to talk about us all; we want to hear about your experiences, and collectively find ways to support each other, and work towards reducing these challenges that we still often face.

We welcome you to a closed-door, online gathering of queer-identifying field ecologists/conservation scientists - a trust circle and a safe space that was once lacking within the wildlife community.

This is NOT a workshop. There will be no lectures, skill sessions, or training. We simply want to provide a safe space for you to be yourself; for you to know that you are NOT alone.

Come as you are. When you – our queer peers – join us, we promise to safeguard your identities so you can express yourselves freely without the fear of professional/personal repercussions. Turn your camera on or keep it off. Come with a pseudonym if you want to remain anonymous. Speak, ask, or just listen. Share as much or as little of you as you want. Whether you are out-and-about, discreet, or still figuring out your identity, you are wholeheartedly welcome!

You need not have registered for the entire SCCS conference to be a part of the Queer Circle.

In addition to this scheduled online meet, we will also have an off-campus in-person meet for those interested and in Bangalore during SCCS-Bng 2024 on 23rd October 8pm onwards. We will share details with those who register for the QC and hope to see all of you there! IMPORTANT: If you are an ally (a non-LGBTQA+ identifying individual), we love you and believe that our life would be much harder without your support, but this circle is NOT for you. It is only for the queer-identifying community.