Published on April 3, 2024, 12:33 am

In the spirit of increasing visibility and promoting understanding of transgender and other non-binary communities, the Biden administration’s Department of the Interior (DOI) is planning to celebrate “Transgender Day of Visibility” on March 31st with a special screening event. They are showcasing a documentary titled “Diving for Rays: A Queer Conservationist’s Story”.

The DOI department, particularly responsible for managing the federal land across America, perceives this event as an opportunity to raise awareness about LGBT inclusion in sectors like marine biology. The movie they have chosen revolves around Nicole Morris’s experience as a queer woman navigating her career path towards marine science.

Nicole Morris hails from San Diego, California and in the documentary shares her struggle about stepping into a field predominantly occupied by straight men. She had initially given up on her childhood dream due to the lack of LGBTQ+ visibility in marine science. Yet determined, she decided to reroute her life plans and fight against the odds to conserve endangered rays.

During the runtime, Morris points out that mainstream media primarily represent documentaries from heterosexual males’ perspectives making it difficult for growing children like her to see themselves represented or identify with those roles. This narrative pushed her to question if there was room for queer women in marine science – a journey that is at the heart of this documentary.

This film screening initiative aligns with President Joe Biden’s commitment towards promotion of gender diversity, equity, inclusion; ensuring spaces for diverse voices within larger societal structures. In fact, his recent declaration via Twitter resources commemorating Easter Sunday as “Transgender Day of Visibility” further upholds this commitment.

“Diving for Rays: A Queer Conservationist’s Story” documents Morris’s transformation into a marine conservationist which started from learning how to scuba dive and eventually led onto admission into a graduate school program. In recognizing herself amidst these experiences as both”a queer woman and marine conservationist”, she reinforces that although distinct from mainstream marine conservationists, her voice as a queer woman in science holds equal significance.

The screening at DOI is non-mandatory and following the movie, there will be a question-and-answer session involving the filmmaker, Nova West, and representatives from diverse LGBTQIA+ Employee Resource Groups. Multiple bodies including the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, U.S. Bureau of Land Management, and National Park Service are set to participate.

This event has reportedly been organized by Tristian Edgarian leading Interior’s LGBTQ Employee Resource Group along with James Mosley. Such developments echo the growing shift within federal bureaucracy towards embracing more progressive perspectives on gender and race-related matters—a trend resonating across the wider expanse of government institutions under President Biden’s administration.

All these initiatives help in creating more inclusive structures where diversity thrives within society while also offering trusted news updates for our readers interested from a Christian worldview and real news perspective.