Member Spotlight: Justin Bubenik of FlyCurious
Justin Bubenik (he/him) is a Bend, Oregon-based attorney and lifelong fly angler. Through his extracurricular pursuits in fly fishing, hunting and backpacking instruction, he's working to make the outdoors more accessible to everyone in a responsible and ethically-sound manner. Justin runs his own non-profit, FlyCurious, an organization focused on creating a safe space in the outdoors, expanding fly fishing opportunities for all, and empowering LGBTQIA+ folks with the knowledge and skills necessary to get their toes wet.
I love fish flying, time spent on the water in solitude or with friends, and how you can shape your experience to suit your needs at any given time. A shared love of fly fishing and respect for the fish we pursue and the environments they inhabit should be enough for anyone to welcome a person with open arms into the community. Those affinities should be enough to outweigh politics, religion and any number of topics folks find a way to argue about in the “real world,” but divisiveness still finds a way to prevail and folks are left feeling like the fly fishing industry is an exclusive club.
Growing up fly fishing, I saw plenty of people in the industry that looked like me – white, male, middle-class – but the outdoor community lacked representation in the LGBTQ+ community in the industry and media. That lack of representation made it difficult for me to feel like I would be accepted as my genuine, whole self. The fly fishing industry has plenty of welcoming, accepting and all-round wholesome people, but the perceptions, history of fly fishing and a number of “bad apples” leave folks like me searching for a safe place to land.
I still feel a level of fear and intimidation walking into a straight, cis-male dominated landscape, like a fly shop, and letting my guard down. Having been on the receiving end of hate and bigotry, I’ve internalized the images and stereotypes that society has unfairly placed on the LGBTQ+ community. Because of this, I find myself disguising any characteristic that could make me look like an outsider and going into interactions with the understanding that some folks view the LGBTQ+ community as groomers, pedophiles and morally corrupt. Social media has been a blessing and a curse: it has been a way to connect LGBTQ+ folks around the world with a shared love of fly fishing and the outdoors, but it has also given a platform for the folks who are so filled with hate that they have to spew it onto others’ screens through public posts and comments.
Recently, Orvis posted a message regarding Pride and diversity to their social media profiles, and while many comments were celebratory and supportive, it was those hate-filled comments that stand out and remind me just how far the fly fishing community has to go in terms of creating a space that is welcoming to the LGBTQ+. I cringe at the thought that there are kids out there reading the comments of hate and the derogatory use of labels of the LGBTQ+ community. Memes, captions and comments relating to fly fishing continue to use the word “gay” as synonymously with “lesser-than.” Reading through the comments sections brings me back to the metaphorical closet I survived in for so long and reminds me why the last “family” I came out to was the fly fishing community.
Some of the comment on posts like Orvis’ ask why there is a Pride Month – or even why the LGBTQ+ community should be recognized - and why there isn’t a Straight Pride Month. In what countries are people put to death because they’re straight? When was the last time someone was beaten and left to die, alone, like Matthew Sheppard, because they’re heterosexual or cis-gendered? When was there a straight kid, so scared to come out or be outed as heterosexual, that they thought it was just easier to end their life? What states have bills, or active laws, that aim to ostracize or limit the rights of straight folks?
Companies celebrating Pride Month and the LGBTQ+ community create that platform for anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric and often face blowback. Seeing that blowback from the loud minority of bigots, I understand why the fly fishing industry is slow to acknowledge the growing LGBTQ+ demographic on the water, but it’s the companies that provide LGBTQ+ representation, respond to the hate and stand by their positions that will continue to win the hearts and business of the ever-growing majority of people on the right side of history.
I can only speak for myself, but I celebrate Pride and aim to provide representation for the LGBTQ+ community in the fly fishing industry for the younger version of myself, the version that lived through the first 21 years of life in constant fear of being found out and hiding my genuine self. Pride is a chance to make up for lost time, to reflect, to express ourselves, to feel seen and to have our voices amplified. I dream of being, and lifting up others in the community to be, that person I so actively sought to find on the river or in media as a kid. I hope to cultivate feelings of belonging amongst those who feel unseen or outcast by the fly fishing and outdoor industry at large. Companies can recognize and celebrate these same sentiments for their employees and customers, and help provide the LGBTQ+ representation that is so essential to welcoming new folks into this awesome industry and pastime.
The fly fishing industry as a whole can help create a more welcoming and safe space through these same practices. It takes more than putting up that rainbow sticker in the window, but it’s a great place to start. Digging deeper, there are corporate and employee trainings on diversity, equity and inclusion, biases and stereotypes, and how to be an ally. Having these sorts of open discussions about being conscious of treatment and word choices (like use of pronouns), and ensuring your employees know how to maintain a culture of inclusivity and acceptance of people from all walks of life, will bring more customers in your doors and onto your website time and time again. Additionally, there is a list of links below to raise your awareness, assist in your individual and company-wide education and provide actionable items to consider. At the end of the day, members of the LGBTQ+ community like myself want the same thing as the rest of the world, regardless of your individual attributes or beliefs: to be seen, be heard and be accepted for who we are inside and out – and in those regards, even the smallest of steps in the right direction helps.
Justin is a board member of Fly Fishers International, founding board member of the Outdoorist Oath, member of the AFFTA Diversity Committee, and instructor and volunteer with the Mayfly Project, Trout Unlimited, LGBT+ Outdoors, Oregon Department of Fish & Wildlife and Backcountry Hunters & Anglers.
Helpful links and additional learning:
Words Not to Use & Alternatives
Good Practices: Inclusive Language
History of Pride
How to Build LGBTQ+ Inclusivity Within Your Company
The Welcoming Project
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