No one cares. Just be a human. Have some thick skin like everyone else. Be an adult and speak up if something bothers you.
There are assholes in every single field in the world. Fire is no different. But by and large. No one cares. Show up. Have a good attitude. Work hard. And don’t expect any special treatment. You’ll be fine
People like to say that no one cares but that's not true. I'd say there's a pretty modern workforce culture overall these days but you can certainly find some pockets of lower acceptance and random shitheads can pop up anywhere. I don't know what you're looking for but if I were queer I'd want to be on a crew where people actually do care and are supportive.
Best bets are to look for crews in more progressive locations and talk to your potential supervisor about it during the interviews, if you're comfortable. If they aren't good at talking about it then it probably isn't the best environment. You could also ask them if there's anyone else in their fire management organization that would be better to talk to about that. There are also distinct cultural differences among some of the many orgs and agencies that you could end up working with.
Big takeaways are that you can absolutely have a fulfilling job in fire as a queer person, you probably won't find much explicit exclusion these days, and it might take a little more work to find the people that will really help you thrive. DM me if you want to chat more about how to navigate any of that or if you'd like me to connect you with some queer folks in fire. Open invitation to anyone reading this thread.
For reference, I'm bi in a very long running straight relationship.
I don't think anyone in the crew would give a shit. No one is aware mostly due to it not being pertinent to work or relevant to my current relationship status.
Now, if they did find out, and it bothered any of them, that would certainly be their problem, not mine.
I've definitely been on crews with a lot of homophobia/antiqueer-"humor". That being said, I've been on others with quite a number of queer members and an inclusive atmosphere. If you're worried about it ask the supervisors and/or other crew members about it if possible. The tolerance of crews in fire is pretty regional like any other crew. So if the trails and fuels crews you've been working on are inclusive then chances are the fire crews on the forest/in that area are as well
You said it in your comment. It’s “humor” jokes are funny.
If a joke bothers someone. Speak up. But I’ve never seen someone be made to be less of a person in fire simply because of their sexual orientation.
People need to get over words hurting their feelings. There’s a difference between jokes and a personal attack…
The gender of individuals on handcrew is weighted more in one direction, not much even distribution in gender, other then that I don't think it would matter, just wor hard and be helpful.
If you can work hard and be mesh with the crew I don’t care if like strawberries or blueberries yellow or green end of the day you’re human doing a job to help others. And everyone on a crew should be a brothers keeper. We leave to the fire line together we leave to go home together
No one cares. Just be a human. Have some thick skin like everyone else. Be an adult and speak up if something bothers you. There are assholes in every single field in the world. Fire is no different. But by and large. No one cares. Show up. Have a good attitude. Work hard. And don’t expect any special treatment. You’ll be fine
Your attitude and work ethic will say more about you than anything in this job.
I’ve met lots of gay folks on fires. And in the conservation community in general.
People like to say that no one cares but that's not true. I'd say there's a pretty modern workforce culture overall these days but you can certainly find some pockets of lower acceptance and random shitheads can pop up anywhere. I don't know what you're looking for but if I were queer I'd want to be on a crew where people actually do care and are supportive. Best bets are to look for crews in more progressive locations and talk to your potential supervisor about it during the interviews, if you're comfortable. If they aren't good at talking about it then it probably isn't the best environment. You could also ask them if there's anyone else in their fire management organization that would be better to talk to about that. There are also distinct cultural differences among some of the many orgs and agencies that you could end up working with. Big takeaways are that you can absolutely have a fulfilling job in fire as a queer person, you probably won't find much explicit exclusion these days, and it might take a little more work to find the people that will really help you thrive. DM me if you want to chat more about how to navigate any of that or if you'd like me to connect you with some queer folks in fire. Open invitation to anyone reading this thread.
For reference, I'm bi in a very long running straight relationship. I don't think anyone in the crew would give a shit. No one is aware mostly due to it not being pertinent to work or relevant to my current relationship status. Now, if they did find out, and it bothered any of them, that would certainly be their problem, not mine.
I've definitely been on crews with a lot of homophobia/antiqueer-"humor". That being said, I've been on others with quite a number of queer members and an inclusive atmosphere. If you're worried about it ask the supervisors and/or other crew members about it if possible. The tolerance of crews in fire is pretty regional like any other crew. So if the trails and fuels crews you've been working on are inclusive then chances are the fire crews on the forest/in that area are as well
You said it in your comment. It’s “humor” jokes are funny. If a joke bothers someone. Speak up. But I’ve never seen someone be made to be less of a person in fire simply because of their sexual orientation. People need to get over words hurting their feelings. There’s a difference between jokes and a personal attack…
No, there's not always a difference.
The gender of individuals on handcrew is weighted more in one direction, not much even distribution in gender, other then that I don't think it would matter, just wor hard and be helpful.
If you can work hard and be mesh with the crew I don’t care if like strawberries or blueberries yellow or green end of the day you’re human doing a job to help others. And everyone on a crew should be a brothers keeper. We leave to the fire line together we leave to go home together
Clinton had it right. Don’t ask, don’t tell is legally binding.
None fire fighter as long as you can’t shoot the hose straight I don’t care if you are