These species would have burnt and no one would have cared if I hadn't given them a name.

Bryan Lessard

I'd been watching a lot of' RuPaul's Drag Race' when I was examining the specimen under the microscope, so it was on my mind ! and I really wanted to give this group of flies a memorable name because it needs the attention -- the first specimen of this RuPaul fly was collected over a hundred years ago and sat neglected in a museum collection until someone with the knowledge of that group came along to name and document them.

As a gay scientist, it took me a long time to feel comfortable in my own skin in a very traditional field of science -- in entomology, i think it's really important for the next generation of LGBTQ + scientists to know that they're being represented in the workplace, as we give the names of legends in the community to memorable species.