Hello all,I posted this on my Facebook page the other day, but now that BOO is
back up, this seems like a good place to share it.Some personal thoughts:Birds
are on the decline. We all know this.Birds need all the allies they can get
-BIPOC, API, femme, young, old, LGBTQ+, those highly knowledgeable about birds,
but also those who who don't know the name of the species on their feeder but
enjoy them regardless.When we let people bully, shut down, dismiss, or harass
in any way, another bird appreciator, we lose bird advocates. Why would you
donate to a conservation organization when someone in that group constantly
shits on new birders? Why would you join an organization if some of their
members are known for making women uncomfortable? Why would you go on a field
trip with an organization that constantly shuts down BIPOC members? Why would
you donate your time and effort to eBird and other community science projects
when the area reviewer thinks its okay to talk down to you? How do we expect
people to feel safe advocating for birds when the birding community around them
makes them feel unwelcome or dumb.If someone is excited because they just
learned to identify an American Robin, that should be celebrated.If someone
uses their camera instead of binoculars to look at birds, we should delight in
their photos.If someone is raped while birding, we should listen to their
experience and call out the perpetrator. And we should make every effort to
prevent this kind of thing from happening ever again.If every time people
discuss their personal experiences around birding, we try to shut it down as
"politcal" or "not related to birding" we are missing out. If we allow the
voices of bullies, misogynists, and racists to continue, the whole birding
community misses out. And in the end, it'll be the birds who suffer. Our
community and related organizations can not continue to gate hold. The only
voices that should be silenced are the ones trying to silence others.Angela
Sent via the Samsung Galaxy S8 Active, an AT&T 5G Evolution capable smartphone
