What does it mean to be queer in oceanography? In this special episode, nine LGBTQ+ scientists and ocean professionals share, in their own words, what it has meant to build lives and careers around the sea. Their work stretches from phytoplankton, deep-sea food webs, marine bioacoustics, and microbial ecology to ocean acidification, coastal pollution, fisheries, and marine protected areas. Across very different lives and disciplines, certain experiences begin to echo.

They remember the first queer scientist who made another future imaginable. They reflect on joy, friendship, and uncertainty aboard research vessels; the daily calculations surrounding visibility and safety; and the mentors, labmates, and chosen communities that helped them find their place in science. They also consider what universities, laboratories, and research leaders can do to make ocean fieldwork and life at sea safer and more inclusive.

But Queer Voices in Oceanography is not only a conversation about barriers. It is a portrait of nine people who love the ocean and have built their lives around understanding and protecting it. Together, their stories reveal why representation matters, what becomes possible when scientists can bring their whole selves to their work, and how the people who once needed to see a queer scientist are becoming the people a younger generation can see.

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Episode Guests:

Dr. Erin Jones

Jacob Snyder

Lee Miller

Jamie Blatter

Dr Jesus Alcazar Trevino

Nicolas Storie

Dr. Michael Henson

Dr. Marina Sanz-Martín

Dr. Tristan Mckenzie

To connect with more queer scientists visit 500 Queer Scientists

Episode Transcript and more information on the Pine Forest Media website

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Hosted, produced, and edited by Clark Marchese

Cover art by Jomiro Eming

Theme music by Nela Ruiz

Find some more Pine Forest Media podcasts below

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Listen to Something in the Water on Spotify or Apple Podcasts

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