Diving for Rays - A Queer Conservationist’s Story

Here at the Earth to Humans podcast, we love highlighting, exploring and increasing visibility of environmental intersections. With Pride Month taking place in many parts of our beautiful Planet Earth last month, and pride events continuing throughout this month, I thought now would be a great time to discuss an intersection we haven’t featured on our podcast just yet - LGBTQIA+ visibility within the environmental sector.

I recorded this week’s conversation after having a browse through nature film streaming platform Waterbear one night, to discover a new film had been added - a wildlife film with a bio unlike anything I’d heard before.Here is is:

‘Diving for Rays follows the story of Nicole Morris, who since she was young has aspired to be a marine conservationist. Growing up in San Diego, she spent her childhood among the creatures of the sea - her favorite being rays. The ocean became her place of healing, especially when she realized she was queer. But the more she discovered who she was, the less she saw herself in the career as a queer woman. Years later, she realized that she owed it to herself to become what she couldn't see.’

Artwork by Jasmine Hortop

When we’re little, we all dream of the jobs we’ll have when we’re older, some of mine included superhero, mermaid, vet, estate agent and boat driver (I didn’t know the words ‘skipper’ when I was four). But it often takes a role model, who reflects something back to us that we recognise in ourselves, for us to take our own dreams seriously enough to pursue them. In absence of this, we can think our dreams are unachievable and settle for something less - and that’s exactly what this story is about.

I love how working this podcast allows me to speak to inspirational people who are fighting for causes they are so passionate about, and making the space for others to do so too. I hope that you enjoy listening to it, and I hope that if there’s anyone out there who doesn’t feel like their dreams are possible because of a lack of representation, it might be just the thing you need to hear!

If you listen to the podcast and want to watch the film, you can find it here.