Queer Ecology and Intersectional Environmentalism
Pride month is here, so let's celebrate with some queer theory and intersectionality! This article outlines what queer ecology is and how it relates to the modern environmental and LGBTQ+ movements.
Note: I recognize that the word "queer" has historically been, and still sometimes is, used as a pejorative. However, many LGBTQ+ people have reclaimed the word to inclusively refer to themselves and their community. In this article, I aim to use the word "queer" to inclusively refer to the wide array of LGBTQIA2S+ people.
What is Queer Ecology?
Queer ecology is a set of concepts that acknowledge the connections between ecology and queer thought. Among these concepts are the observations that society believes queerness to be "unnatural" even though many parts of nature are queer (yay for lesbian albatrosses!) and that injustices against nature and injustices against LGBTQ+ people have overlapping causes and solutions.
Bottom line: Queer ecology argues that ecology and queer theory are connected in v important ways.
Wait, how is ecology connected to queerness?
Sexuality and ecology might seem like unrelated ideas, but in reality, they are related in loads of ways. Most notably, queerness and nature are connected through their shared positions in value dualisms in dominant Western society.
Here's a quick rundown for those who aren't familiar with dualisms-- Basically, society loves to characterize things in black and white terms. In these black and white comparisons, one extreme is inherently good, and the other is inherently bad. These groups of commonly referenced extremes are called "dualisms."
For example, popular western society believes that humans and nature are opposite from one another. In this "humans/nature" dualism, our society views humans as a good and powerful force and nature as an obstacle to be conquered. In this way, humans are "good," and nature is "bad." As a result, the natural world is often exploited, abused, and ignored (evidenced by our mounting list of environmental ills).
Another prevalent dualism is natural/unnatural. Although nature is exploited in the humans/nature dualism, our society often praises natural things over unnatural things. For this reason, natural things are aligned with the "good" side of the natural/unnatural dualism, while unnatural things are aligned with the "bad" side of the dualism.
Even though the natural/unnatural dualism directly contradicts the humans/nature dualism, these conflicting patterns of thought are present in so many places in our society. People praise natural foods, natural aesthetics, natural behaviors and so much more. Yet, simultaneously, we take advantage of nature itself by using too many resources, polluting and ignoring obvious signs of planetary distress.
So this brings us to the straight/non-straight dualism. In this dualism, our patriarchal society aligns being straight with being natural and therefore being inherently good. On the other hand, it aligns being non-straight with the unnatural and perceives homosexuality as inherently bad.
Combining the humans/nature, natural/unnatural, and straight/non-straight dualisms, we find that society perceives queerness as unnatural while also oppressing nature itself. In other words, our society thinks queerness is bad because it is unnatural. However, our society also readily exploits the natural world because it views humans as superior to nature.
As a result, non-straight people and nature share injustices brought about by our capitalistic and patriarchal society. The same systems that oppress nature also oppress LGBTQ+ people. This common enemy is what unites ecology and queerness.
Bottom line: Our society perceives being queer as "unnatural" and therefore bad. Meanwhile, the same systems that oppress queer people also exploit our natural world.
How does queer ecology relate to the LGBTQ+ movement?
All this talk about dualisms and queer theory is a little abstract, so let's bring it back to Earth. Luckily, queer ecology is directly related to the modern LGBTQ+ movement in a lot of clear and tangible ways. Here are a few of my favorite real-world queer-environment connections:
Safe queer spaces
Throughout history, LGBTQ+ people have used geography to create safe spaces for themselves and their communities.
One of the most interesting examples of this is the "womyn's land" movement of the 1960s. As part of this movement, many lesbians built small rural farming communities to escape the widespread discrimination they felt in more populated areas. At the movement's peak in the late 1900s, nearly 150 rural lesbian separatist communities existed across the U.S. These women spent their time tending the land, growing crops, raising animals, and hosting other women for safe retreats or gathering spaces.
Today, some of the womyn's land communities still exist, while others have become obsolete. In other contexts, LGBTQ+ people continue to use geography to keep themselves safe. Almost every major city has a gay neighborhood, with LGBTQ-friendly bars, parks, bakeries and more. In these ways and more, many queer people use geography and their environments to create safe spaces for their communities.
Queer outdoor organizations
Another connection between queer ecology and the LGBTQ+ movement is the popularity of queer outdoor organizations.
Queer people are often excluded from traditionally "masculine" outdoor activities and survival education. To break this cycle, many nonprofits and influencers have created communities for LGBTQ+ people interested in ecology.
One of the most popular queer outdoor organizations is The Venture Out Project. This nonprofit hosts day trips and longer camping expeditions for LGBTQ+ people. During these trips, group leaders educate their hikers about topography, botany, water treatment and basic camping and survival skills.
Trips hosted by The Venture Out Project and similar organizations help LGBTQ+ people feel more confident traveling in outdoor spaces. Through these excursions, LGBTQ+ people can also form lasting friendships with like-minded nature-loving queer people!
Queer Animals
One of the most delightful connections between queer ecology and the modern LGBTQ+ movement is the public recognition and acceptance of same-sex animal behaviors.
One of the most well-known same-sex animal pairs is Skip and Ping, two male king penguins at the Berlin zoo. These penguins came to the zoo as a couple and began tending to an adopted egg soon after their arrival. Several other zoos (like Central Park Zoo and London Aquarium) have also reported same-sex penguin couples.
Although stories of penguin marriages and same-sex partnerships might seem like publicity stunts, these stories are rooted in very real animal behaviors. Outside of these public relationships, many animal species regularly exhibit same-sex behavior in the wild. Many dolphins, lions, walruses, bison, bonobos and more all practice same-sex coupling at some point in their lives. Members of some species, like albatrosses and swans, even stay with same-sex partners for life. In these cases, the same-sex birds often adopt abandoned eggs to start families together.
Of course, recognizing the frequency and validity of same-sex animal behaviors will not single-handedly bring about LGBTQ+ rights. However, discussing and normalizing same-sex animals may help disprove the myth that non-straight people and activities are "unnatural." Bring on the gay animal weddings!
Shared Position in Politics
The shared political struggles of LGBTQ+ allies and sustainability advocates is another key point of connection between queer ecology and the modern LGBTQ+ movement.
In the U.S.'s current two-party political system, the Democratic Party more clearly aligns itself with both LGBTQ+ rights and environmental advocacy than the Republican Party. (Pst! Many Republicans also care about these issues. However, Democratic politicians more clearly and effectively include justice for LGBTQ+ people and our environment in their platform and proposed policies.)
As a result, many liberal politicians in the U.S. recognize the shared exploitation of nature and the queer community, and they use policy to prove it. For example, a policy that seeks to create more sustainable food systems can benefit trans people who struggle with food insecurity and reduce land pollution from big ag. Policy proposals like this can benefit queer people and our environment simultaneously.
Bottom line: Queer ecology is present in the LGBTQ+ movement's reliance on space to foster communities, its nature-loving submovements, publicly gay animals and the shared political position of nature and LGBTQ+ people.
How can I include queer ecology in intersectional activism?
As I explained in Why We Need Intersectional Environmentalism, intersectionality is the idea that different types of injustice are sustained by overlapping systems of oppression. In our society, every living thing faces differing degrees of related inequalities based on their location, religion, race, sexuality, gender and more.
By this definition, using queer ecology to inform your intersectional activism is a no-brainer. We can all use queer ecology to make our activism more intersectional because the entire concept of queer ecology is intersectional.
By simply recognizing and discussing the connections between queer theory and ecology, we can incorporate queer ecology into our intersectional activism. Telling your friends (and representatives!) about the shared struggles of LGBTQ+ people and our environment can help more people understand these connections and fight against the systems that perpetuate them.