One of iFishiBelong’s June 2025 “Be What You Don’t See” Pride Panelists, Demiesha Dennis, (she/her), an award-winning conservationist, community leader, and founder of Brown Girl Outdoor World (BGOW).
Through BGOW, Deisha has built a powerful platform that centers visibility, community, and safer spaces for Black, Indigenous, and self-identified Women of Colour., queer folks, and anyone who has ever felt like the “only one” in outdoor spaces. She believes that while we may not be able to create truly “safe” spaces, we can intentionally build safer ones. Spaces where identities are not erased but held with care, even in silence.
For Deisha, this work is expansive. Standing in this space, she feels unstoppable, driven by purpose.
We know what it is to live out loud, and we know what it is to hold space for people who want to live out as loud as they can, but for every other reason that exists in the world they can't. I find myself living stronger for those people.
The outdoors has been home to Demiesha Dennis since her childhood in Jamaica planting vegetables with her grandmother and discovering the natural world. After moving to Canada, she became more adventurous exploring the mountains, rivers, and oceans, but she did so mostly by herself. Further, she saw few BIPOC women in the outdoors or in advertising and marketing for equipment and activities. When she invited a small group of friends to join her in the outdoors, she realized that not only was she building a community to share her interests, but she was making that community visible. As a result, she founded Brown Girl Outdoor World (BGOW) to provide greater opportunities for her intersectional communities to engage with the natural world and to change the narrative assigned to them about their place in outdoor adventure and recreation.
Whether it’s stand-up paddle boarding, waterfall chasing, ice climbing, or her favorite, fly fishing, Demiesha is breaking down the barriers to adventuring by providing shared opportunities, safe spaces, education, and affordable gear. Her message: BIPOC women belong in the outdoors, and they are showing up in increased numbers.
Demiesha’s fishing story began when, trying to get out of going to church, she went to a nearby river and found a stick, tied on a piece of thread and a safety pin, and tried to catch a fish. Eventually she discovered fly fishing and despite being initially put off by the predominance of older white men in the “sport,” she pursued her interest and is now an avid fly angler. She enjoys catching brook trout and shares her knowledge and joy of fly fishing with the growing BGOW communities.
Most recently Demiesha was a featured fishing guide on the Madawaska river, Ontario, in the premiere episode of Get Hooked, a 6-part documentary series that follows four queer millennial women as they fish (catch & release) with guides from diverse backgrounds and experiences. Here we see Demiesha continue her work of helping queer and racialized women escape their comfort zones and find community in nature.
The 2025 iFishiBelong “Be What You Don’t See” campaign highlights leaders breaking barriers in the fishing industry. Each month, we will feature individuals who challenge conventions and inspire change with passion and resilience, motivating the next generation of anglers to create their paths and “be what they don’t see.” By highlighting these trailblazers, we aim to inspire broader participation and show that leadership roles in the fishing industry are accessible to everyone, creating a more inclusive vision of success.
