Film screening at 7:00pm, followed by a panel discussion
Queering Nature: Exploring 2SLGBTQIA+ Perspectives in Ecology and Environmentalism
How is queerness reflected in nature? Why does it matter? How have dominant scientific narratives shaped our understanding of gender and sexuality in the natural world, and what can we learn by looking beyond those assumptions?
Join us for an evening of rich conversation at the intersection of queerness, environmentalism, and ecological thinking. The event will feature a screening of Animal Pride: Nature’s Coming Out Story, a film that challenges conventional ideas about nature and sexuality. Following the screening, a panel of 2SLGBTQIA+ community members from diverse nature-based disciplines—including ecology, farming, and environmental activism—will explore how queer perspectives reshape our understanding of the natural world, fostering more inclusive and holistic approaches to science, conservation, and sustainability.
About the Film
In Animal Pride: Nature’s Coming Out Story, Queer naturalist Connel Bradwell challenges mainstream biology’s blindspot for queer animal behaviour in nature. Schooled in the birds and the bees, survival of the fittest, The Origin of Species, Connel sees the disconnect – how can humans be Queer, while animals supposedly aren’t?
After observing same-sex behaviour in orcas, Connel embarks on a journey to unveil nature’s true diversity of gender expression and sexuality. Fueled by his love for the natural world, Connel discovers the science behind same-sex parenting in seabirds, hermaphrodite slugs, and the hidden history of same-sex penguin behaviour. Not your typical wildlife documentary, Animal Pride celebrates diversity, and presents a riotous rebellion against stereotypes. It also has the capacity to fundamentally shift how we see the natural world, and our place within it.
We’ve all heard the rhetoric – that being queer isn’t natural. Connel’s irreverent approach takes a wrecking ball to the ivory tower of heteronormative science, demanding answers to why the world has been missing out on the wild, wonderful, and downright sexy side of nature.
