By Sofia Roberson, Alliance Intern from Reed College ‘25
In the midst of the sixth mass extinction caused by human activity, a reimagining of how we interact with our environments is crucial. As we approach Pride Month, I want to share what I have learned about a lens of environmentalism that is more inclusive, thanks to the ideas of the LGBTQIA+ community: Queer ecology. We live in a world orchestrated through male power and privilege – a power that has been imposed not only on human society, but the environments in which we live. Historically, Man has been distinguished as separate from Nature, a belief that must be challenged as evidence of anthropogenically caused climate change continues to emerge.
The reality is, Nature is the anthropocene and we always have been and always will be inextricably intertwined with the greenery and wildlife around us. The categories we create to distinguish differences between humanity and nature work against us as environmentalists who want to see the Earth’s problems solved. But, categorization creates power, and the White, cisgender, heterosexual males who have traditionally dominated society have created these categories, making it such that their norms of a gender and sex binary have become standard, or, “natural.”
These norms are dangerous because they perpetuate a view of the environment as fixed to a set of patriarchal conventions by projecting these conventions onto other species. As it turns out, we have a lot more in common with the animals in our backyards than we have been taught.
Queer Ecology and the Reimaginement of Our Views
So, how do we challenge this? Queer ecology provides a framework for this reimaginement. This theory argues that the rigidity of society’s gender and sex binary has led us to exploit nature as an expression of masculine ideals. Because what is more masculine than dominating populations (social or animal) that are otherwise helpless in comparison?
In criticizing the similarities between the treatment of nature and gender minorities, Queer theory seeks to challenge traditional notions of sex. That is, the notion that male-female relations are natural and anything else is not. Evolution has evidenced that this is simply not true. Biology is boundless and sexual deviations exist in numerous species. In actuality, then, queer theory is ecology and ecology is queer theory.
Shauna O’Donnell put it simply in one of the first publications on Queer ecology: “a politics of nature can no longer be an articulation of white, male, heterosexual privilege.” This Pride month provides us an opportunity to discuss and challenge how we view gender, and, hopefully, make us even better environmentalists.
Patriarchy is Bad for Everyone!
We are living in a world constructed on male supremacy, and it bleeds into all aspects of our lives. As I’ve gotten older, this realization has become all the more pertinent. I am not entirely sure how I would define my sexuality, and have struggled recently to fit my experiences neatly into a category. Because this is what patriarchal society does. It forces us to define and categorize and shames us when we find difficulty doing so.
Theories of Queer ecology have shown that this is actually a common challenge, and it is not one limited to just humans. When cisgender, straight men were able to define their experiences as law, it created our current society where anything that does not reinforce male power and heteronormativity is treated as unnatural and wrong. It has also created a culture where sex is treated as taboo; my questions about my own sexuality have remained unanswered as I struggle to find resources that deviate from heteronormativity.
When the only information made available on gender and sex abides to these norms, it makes gender minorities more vulnerable to violence. As the climate crisis worsens, these groups are at the highest risk. Unfortunately, the patriarchy protects cis, straight men above all else and this will hold as environmental issues increase if we do not change. It is important for men who identify with this demographic to use their privileges to uplift those who have not been able to have a voice in these discussions.
Ecofeminism and Queer Ecology
Before Queer ecology, came the movement of Ecofeminism. The movement is rooted in the recognition of Man’s domination over Nature. Ecofeminism explains how women have been subordinated by men similar to how Nature has, and have even commonly been lumped into the same category with the “nature as feminine” trope and the “Mother Nature” mythos. Just as the Earth has been painted as fruitful and fertile, so have women, and both have been exploited consequently.
These binaries need to be deconstructed in order to move towards a more gender equitable world, and Ecofeminism says that this will cause a necessary re-envisionment of our relationship with the environment. However, critics of Ecofeminism say that the movement is based in biological essentialism and excludes queer people from the discussion. I believe this to only be true if we ignore the constant evolution the feminist movement maintains.
It is important to promote intersectionality within ecofeminism; perhaps these critics want to frame queer ecology as an extension of ecofeminist ideology and, if so, I am all for it! Queer people have the same goals as women do, to fight the injustices against all gender minorities and to hopefully make sure and highlight their keystone roles within environmental history.
Deer are Queer?
The distinction of Man and Nature reveals a funny paradox: Man is separate from the natural world, yet Man places its heteronorma on the natural world. This is evident in the field of biology, especially zoology. Many scientists have misinterpreted evidence of homosexuality and transsexuality in animals, reinforcing the perceived heteronormativity of the natural world.
Other scientists, however, have made efforts to expose this lie. According to one study, around 10 percent of all white-tailed deers are intersexual. Similarly, researchers have found that around 12 percent of Canadian geese are homosexual.
Queer ecology has sparked discussion amongst the field of evolution as well. DNA sequencing has shown that genetics are malleable; for example, viruses can insert themselves into a DNA code, completely altering the way the organism functions. Viruses aren’t always bad either: GB Virus C is an asymptomatic, blood-borne virus that slows the progression of AIDS. Genetics can be changed in a variety of ways, not just through viruses, and serve as evidence of the infinitude of biology.
According to scholar Timothy Morton, “evolution is both non-teleological and arbitrary,” or, as Nicole Seymour put it, “not straight.” It is a shame that scientists must prove this about non-human animals in an effort to promote kindness and acceptance towards ourselves.
Deviation is the Norm in Nature so Why Not Queer Nature
As it turns out, deviation from the gender norm is actually more natural than the gender heteronorma itself. One of the goals of Queer ecology then, is “queering nature” — that is, leaving the gender and sex binary behind when examining ecological issues. When we realize that humans and other species are all part of the same system, and that that system has biological complexity, a more equitable approach can be taken to prioritize the needs of all humans and all plants and other animals.
Sustainability Helps Embrace the Strangeness of Nature and Ecological Empowerment
Sustainability is not only being ecologically sound, but also being socially just and humane. Queer ecology embodies these values, and affirms that species diversity is a positive thing. Creating categories does nothing but separate us and perpetuates the male power structures that have been destroying our Earth for centuries.
Humans have been decentered from the universe since the beginning of history, yet we have struggled to accept it. We have been viewing the transience of humanity as a sort of “ecological humiliation,” and the fact that we are as vulnerable to environmental change as embarrassing. This view has ignored the notion of a biotic community; we are more similar to our natural world than we have ever realized, so why don’t we take the opportunity to celebrate it? Rather than an ecological humiliation, why can’t the queerness of ecology be seen as an ecological empowerment?
The Opportunity to Co-Create a Just, Equitable Future by Queering Our Approach to Life
Togetherness and community is needed now more than ever as humans continue to disparately destroy the environment, and harm minorities as a result. I am calling for us to “queer” our approaches to life, so as to push forward to a more equitable and just future. If nature has taught us anything, it is that it is full of surprises. There is always an exception, and, as my fellow Alliance Intern Zoe Grell put it: “nature is going to be queer whether we like it or not.”