Tobyn Neame
They/Them
I am a lesbian and I am an ecologist and entomologist.//
I am a Master’s student studying ecology at the University of Calgary. My current research focus is on the functional agroecology of carabid beetles (ground beetles). In the past, I have studied bumble bees as well as many other insect taxa. During my undergrad, I wrote an open access book to help identify bumble bees in the Calgary area (Bumble Bees of Calgary – look it up)! As a trans person and a butch lesbian, I have always found solace in insects and the natural world. As is put more eloquently than I could ever hope to write, “Nature held me close and seemed to find no fault with me.” – Leslie Fienberg, Stone Butch Blues. I currently am a member of the Gender and Sexuality Alliance of the Graduate Student’s Association of the University of Calgary and am working to advance the visibility, acceptance, and belonging of lgbtq+ folks (especially trans people) within the natural sciences.