Pride and the Tide: How LGBTQ+ Voices Have Shaped our Knowledge of the Ocean

Within the mystical realm of Marine Science and Technology in which we at RS Aqua operate, June is perhaps best known for World Oceans Month (WOM), an annual milestone that represents a shared commitment in understanding Earth’s waters and marine life. Whilst WOM is obviously massively important exposure for our industry, we must also acknowledge the other big staple of June.

Celebrating the LGBTQ+ community, Pride Month is an essential time to reflect on queer people’s contributions to society and particularly in this case, those in the Ocean Science industry. We owe much of our understanding of the ocean to LGBTQ+ marine scientists, and there are ocean activists within this community who have been campaigning to help protect our big blue resource, which absorbs 30% of all Carbon emissions and is home to 90% of all life on Earth.

Here at RS Aqua, we’re celebrating Pride Month by looking at some of history’s queer individuals who have contributed to the protection of our underwater world, as well as some modern-day champions for the ocean, plus the groups that now help bring them together.

Our first queer trailblazer is Lynn Conway, the transgender computer scientist who invented Dynamic Instruction Scheduling (DIS). DIS was developed in 1966, during the early years of computing, and remains a transformative approach to how Central Processing Units (CPUs) handle and prioritise complex tasks. DIS helped to enable new processes like real-time data streaming, which has been a vital part of the way we conduct studies both beneath and above the water.

Ruth Gates was a marine scientist and director of the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology. An inspiration for budding LGBTQ+ researchers, Gates left behind a legacy that included first chronicling the link between rising temperatures and coral health, as well as researching new ways that coral can survive. She appeared in Netflix’s ‘Chasing Coral’ one year before she passed away in 2018.

It is believed that esteemed marine scientist Rachel Carson was in a relationship with another woman, author Dorothy Freeman, though efforts were made to conceal queer romances in these less accepting times. Carson’s numerous scientific achievements included publishing the book Silent Spring (1962), which exposed the impact that pesticides can have on our aquatic ecosystem, a revelation that led to the formation of the United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).

Today, LGBTQ+ voices continue to contribute to the understanding and protection of our oceans. Ocean Wise has its own list of modern-day movers, stories and campaigns. You can read their article here.

Elsewhere, communities have sprung up in all corners of the world in hopes of bringing queer people in our industry together. I Exist Too is a charity that helps to break down barriers for LGBTQ+ professionals and give them a louder voice within the sector. Maritime UK, meanwhile, have started a Pride in Maritime Network which hopes to form connections and collaborations.

LGBTQ+ voices in the industry are here to stay. Between actively campaigning for the protection of our oceans, as well as making invaluable discoveries beneath the surface, queer people will continue this historical service towards the blue economy and a safer, healthier environment as a whole.