Pride invites islanders to discover nature's queer side with new woodland trail
- Channel Islands Pride launches Queer Nature Trail exploring same-sex behaviour in over 1,500 animal species, starting at Fort George and ending at Pride Village
- Trail offers alternative route through Bluebell Woods and cliff paths for those preferring quieter journey to Pride celebrations on 12 September
- Examples include same-sex penguin couples raising chicks, long-term dolphin partnerships, sex-changing clownfish and hermaphrodite butterflies
- Pride March leaves Market Square at 2pm with thousands expected; organisers ask non-attendees to avoid Town seafront between 2pm-3pm
- Pride Village at La Vallette Bathing Pools runs 3pm-9pm with live music, drag, DJs, silent disco and family area
Channel Islands Pride is offering islanders an alternative route to this year's celebrations with a new Queer Nature Trail, which explores same-sex behaviour and gender fluidity across the animal kingdom.
The trail, supported by CSC, provides a gentler journey to the Pride Village at La Vallette Bathing Pools for those who prefer woodland and cliff paths to the crowds of the main Pride March on Saturday 12 September.
Starting near the German Cemetery War Memorial at Fort George, the route takes walkers through Bluebell Woods and along cliff paths before descending the Cow Horn Steps directly into the Pride Village.
Along the way, information points highlight examples of how nature challenges traditional views on sex, sexuality and gender. Same-sex sexual behaviour has been documented in more than 1,500 animal species. Penguins form same-sex couples and raise chicks together, whilst bottlenose dolphins form long-term same-sex partnerships. Clownfish can change sex, and butterflies can be born with both male and female characteristics.
Plants and fungi also demonstrate complex approaches to sex and reproduction that defy simple categorisation.
Ellie Jones, CEO of Liberate and Channel Islands Pride director, said: "We spend an extraordinary amount of time hearing that LGBTQ+ people are somehow 'unnatural', when nature itself appears to have missed that memo completely.
"Once you start looking, the natural world is gloriously queer. Animals have same-sex relationships, fish change sex, plants switch reproductive roles and nature generally refuses to fit into the tidy little boxes humans like to create.
"The Queer Nature Trail is a fun way of exploring some of that while giving people another way to make their journey to Pride."
The trail forms part of this year's Choose Your Journey approach, which offers different ways for people to participate in Pride according to their preferences. Those seeking the full Pride experience can gather at the Rainbow Steps and Market Square from 1pm before joining the Pride March at 2pm, whilst others can take the Queer Nature Trail at their own pace.
The trail follows ordinary woodland and cliff paths with uneven ground and steps, and is not wheelchair accessible. Organisers are encouraging walkers to wear suitable footwear and take care according to weather conditions.
Meanwhile, organisers are asking islanders who are not attending Pride to avoid travelling along the Town seafront between approximately 2pm and 3pm on Saturday 12 September wherever possible, as thousands of people are expected to take part in the Pride March.
The march will leave Market Square at around 2pm, travelling via the Rainbow Steps, behind the Town Church, onto Fountain Street and through the filter before continuing along the seafront past the Slaughterhouse to La Vallette Bathing Pools. Temporary road closures and traffic management will be in place whilst the march passes.
"If you're coming to Pride, come and join us - we'd love to have you. But if you're just trying to get from one end of Town to the other at 2.30pm, we'd strongly recommend finding another route.
"There will be a few thousand people, a samba band and a 50-metre rainbow flag making their way along the seafront, and they are not particularly easy to overtake. If people can avoid the area between 2pm and 3pm, it will make things much easier for everyone, including the Police and traffic teams helping us get the March safely to the Bathing Pools."
The Pride Village at La Vallette Bathing Pools opens from 3pm until 9pm, with live music, drag performances, DJs, food and drink, community activities, a silent disco, quiet zone and family area.
Channel Islands Pride takes place in Guernsey from 11-13 September 2026, with the main Pride celebrations on Saturday 12 September.
Q&A
Q: When and where does the Queer Nature Trail start?
A: The trail starts near the German Cemetery War Memorial at Fort George on Saturday 12 September. It takes walkers through Bluebell Woods and along cliff paths before descending the Cow Horn Steps into the Pride Village at La Vallette Bathing Pools.
Q: Is the nature trail accessible for wheelchair users?
A: No, the trail is not wheelchair accessible as it follows ordinary woodland and cliff paths with uneven ground and steps. Walkers are encouraged to wear suitable footwear and take care according to weather conditions.
Q: What time should people avoid the Town seafront if they're not attending Pride?
A: Organisers are asking people who are not attending Pride to avoid the Town seafront between approximately 2pm and 3pm on Saturday 12 September, whilst the Pride March makes its way from Market Square to La Vallette Bathing Pools.
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