It’s hard to think of Oregon without thinking of its lush forests and the liberal Portland area. But as I came to find out, the rest of Oregon is definitely not Portland. The state leans left because of its large city, but much of Southern Oregon is made up of small conservative-leaning towns. For a member of the LGBTQ+ community it can be a difficult place to create a safe environment.
Pele LaFrance grew up close to the Portland area, and as an interpretive ranger at Crater Lake National Park, she found a place where she feels welcomed and safe as a part of the queer community in the more conservative South.
Nature and the outdoors have always been an important part of her life in Oregon. Throughout the years she became inspired by stewardship of the land, and after graduating from college decided to begin volunteering at Crater Lake National Park. A year later she was hired by the park to fill a full-time position. It’s been five years since the start of her journey there and LaFrance, now 26, doesn’t see herself moving on any time soon.
“I think it’s incredibly important to protect the land and make sure it's here and preserved for future generations,” LaFrance said. “That's part of why I like my job, I specialize in education and work with student groups when they come up on field trips. I really want to foster a sense of stewardship with the next generation.”
Her work with education, and especially working with kids in education, is her favorite part of the job. The park has different programs LaFrance helps with, some of those being the astronomy program, the junior ranger program, and of course helping out with school field trips.
Aside from her passion in fostering a sense of stewardship within future generations, LaFrance is also passionate about creating a welcoming environment for those of underrepresented communities. Being a lesbian park ranger hasn’t come without its challenges, but she sees it as a chance to use her position and advocate to herself and others in the LGBTQ+ community.
“Some years I'm the only member of the LGBTQ+ community, other years there are one or two and one year there were about four of us on staff which was really nice,” LaFrance said. “I got to have that feeling of community with people who, even if we were from totally different places, we had similar life experiences and they could really understand me and my life.”
LaFrance is not only queer, but is also a Chicana, and although she hasn’t experienced much racism herself because she is white passing, she has witnessed racism from visitors towards other Latinx rangers. One went so far as to tell her Mexican American coworker he “shouldn’t be wearing the uniform,” and although those comments are not directed at her, they are directed at her culture and identity, as well as of course someone she cared about.
Discrimination isn’t something that only affects those who are discriminated against. It has ripples and creates waves which touch and negatively affect multiple lives. With the Park Service there is a long history of discrimination against all underrepresented and minority groups of the U.S. and LaFrance is happy she can be a part of the growing change within the parks to create more inclusivity.
She has experienced discrimination because of her sexual preference during her time working at Crater Lake, but she has also experienced immense support. For Pride month in June, the park posted a photo on Instagram of LaFrance waving a pride flag on a floating boat in the clear blue waters of the lake.
“A lot of people liked it, and there were definitely a lot of people who did not,” she said. “In fact, there were many people who had a negative response, commenting that I should be fired immediately or things like that.”
Those negative comments obviously hurt LaFrance, and it was hard for her to be happy about demonstrating her pride when there was so much negative backlash. The silver lining however, was the overwhelming amount of support she received from the employees and superintendent of the park.
“I wasn't really sure how it was going to go when I was getting all those comments because I've chatted with the Superintendent and we’ve worked together for years, but I didn't know where he stood with those sorts of things and he was overwhelmingly supportive,” she said. “He immediately sent out an email letting us know that no one was going to be punished for doing the right thing.”
Being a part of the queer community can sometimes feel alienating, and LaFrance makes it known that as a member of it there will always be those who are against you, but there will also be those who support you. Her experience with the Park Service has been positive, but she knows that she doesn’t speak for all LGBTQ+ people, or even all lesbians for that matter, and that each person has their own individual experience. All she can do is focus on her actions and how they impact those around her.
“I absolutely think that representation is important, that’s why I agreed to be a part of this project, and why I have a rainbow background on my watch, or often wear a Pride bracelet so visitors can see me and know they’re safe,” LaFrance said. “It's a way for me to say to them that these parks are for us too and we’re not alone here.”