Jody Cole has quite an adventurous workplace.
After all, she's been charged at by a wild lion—not once, but twice—and that "scared the hell out of me," she said. Then, she has "one helluva story to tell" about the time she watched with fear as an elephant appeared to size her up from approximately 30 feet away before ultimately deciding to go elsewhere.
Cole is the sole owner of a gay safari company in the United States, and she's a certified guide in Africa. Cole is the founder and guide of Wild Rainbow African Safaris, and earlier this year was elected to the board of the International Gay and Lesbian Human Rights Commission (IGLHRC), the preeminent organization focused on the pursuit of human rights for LGBT people across the globe.
"It's a new day, a new animal, a new picture, a new experience every single time I get to go. It's fantastic," Cole said. "What I do that brings me a lot of joy is taking people to Africa. I love going to Africa; it is the place that I go where I get peace and serenity. And that is in the bush in Africa. I absolutely love that [area]. I feel more comfortable in the African bush, with unpredictable surroundings, than I do anywhere, even in downtown San Francisco, which I know, very, very well."
In March, for instance, she led a crew of adventurers to four countries, including Zambia. She markets the safaris to the LGBT community, but everyone is welcome. Her safari "guests," as she likes to call them, have ranged from 16 to their mid-60s. Of late, it's been more females, she said, probably 70 percent.
"That elephant flared its ears. I told everyone, 'Don't move a muscle.' Thankfully, [the elephant] calmed down," said Cole. No shots were fired. "That was a real cool, exhilarating experience," she said.
Then again, everything Cole does is exciting. She has even climbed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, Uhuru/Kibo Peak, an elevation of 19,340 feet—twice. Her first time was in 1998, and she returned to that height again recently, but with a cause.
"What inspired me to do [the climb] was the news of the [gay] teens who committed suicide who had been bullied," said Cole, who is on the board for Equality California. "It was great, a really hard [climb].
"This time, I was challenged by some male friends of mine who ultimately backed out of the climb. Ultimately, I had a reason to climb—doing something symbolic.
"I knew that the pain and discomfort [I would endure on the climb], and those points [while climbing] that I would hate being there, were going to be nothing compared to the daily experiences of these bullied kids. And that [thought] came to me often while on the mountain.
"If it weren't for the fact that I was climbing for those kids, those people who supported me to climb, I probably would have turned around and said, 'Take me home.' I'm really proud; I can't believe I did it."
That's why, when she reached the summit after six days of climbing, she started to cry.
"I was overwhelmed with emotion—joy, sadness, exhaustion, spirituality, you name it," Cole said.
She stayed at the summit for about 30 minutes, celebrating, and then headed down, which only took two days.
Cole made the climb with seven others, yet she was the only one using her climb as a fundraiser—and she raised close to $20,000 for Equality California.
"I'm very, very lucky that people were able to support me and the cause. I'm almost speechless," she said.
Would she climb Kilimanjaro again?
She hesitated, then finally answered: "I don't know. But, I've got an itch; I've got a 'What's Next in me? Now what am I going to do?!' I really want to do something that has not been done before, or something that has never been done in the name of gay rights, and I don't know what that is. No doubt, it will be physically challenging."
However, sailing around the world solo is not gonna happen. Cole admitted that she isn't a water person.
Cole said her new role with IGHRC has a direct tie to her safari business, particularly on the LGBT front.
"After years of bringing LGBT Americans to Africa, I have come to realize my guests have, either directly or indirectly, informed and shared new perspectives with the many local people we encounter on safaris," she said. "It seems a natural step that I expand on that reality by becoming involved with IGHRC. I will do whatever I can to bring international attention to the struggles of LGBT Africans, as well as being an ambassador to Africa for the LGBT community in the States."
More than two-thirds of African countries have laws criminalizing consensual same-sex acts. IGLHRC's Africa program, based in South Africa, fights for an end to human-rights violations based on sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression in Africa by partnering with local activists to advocate for change through regional and international institutions; to research and document human rights abuses; and to pursue institutional change across the continent.
IGLHRC is engaged in work across Africa, including countries that are popular for safari travel, such as Kenya, Namibia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and South Africa.
