Pride for People and Planet: The Intersectionality of Climate Action and Queer/Trans Justice
By : Autumn N. Bryan
As we celebrated June, a month of Pride for so many, as we celebrate the lengthening and the warming of the days under the summer sun (here in the Northern hemisphere), we must also face the reality of climate change and its effects on the LGBTQIA+ community. At first glance some may not see the connection between climate justice and queer/trans justice, but the intersectionality of the two movements is inseparably intertwined. Intersectional environmentalism is not a new concept; intersectional theory is rooted in the experience of black women across the globe. The term was coined by Kimberlé Williams Crenshaw— an American civil rights advocate and a leading scholar of critical race theory— and developed as a tool to help amplify and validate the lives and experiences of Black women and people of color. Leah Thomas, another passionate activist, in her novel The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet defines “intersectional environmentalism” as “an inclusive approach to environmentalism that advocates for the protection of both people and the planet” (Thomas, 31). Crenshaw and Thomas have, through their shared experiences, built the framework for a community of inclusivity and interconnected thought in which environmental justice expands to include all aspects of human liberation.
The Intersectional Environmentalist addresses issues of environmental injustice, tackling questions about why marginalized communities are disproportionately affected by environmental issues. Thomas acknowledges that “social justice and environmentalism are deeply intertwined and that addressing this interconnection is crucial for attaining justice for both people and the planet” (Thomas, 5). Thomas recognizes that a “lack of representation of Black, Brown, Indigenous, Asian, low-income, LGBTQ+, disabled, and other marginalized voices has led to an ineffective form of mainstream environmentalism that doesn’t truly stand for the liberation of all” (Thomas, 4). The fight for environmental justice lies in tandem with the fight for social rights. Just as climate justice must include the representation of LGBTQIA+ and other marginalized communities, Pride must incorporate both the planet and its people.
When we ask questions like Who does climate change affect? we must acknowledge the reality of the disproportionate vulnerability of the LGBTQIA+ community, especially its Black and Brown members. Black trans youth are statistically the most likely to experience poverty, homelessness, and physical violence amid climate crises. According to the TRUE COLORS FUND, a nonprofit focusing on LGBTQ youth homelessness, 40% of the U.S youth experiencing homelessness identify as LGBTQ with the majority being people of color, a statistic reported in both Noah Goodwin’s “There is no Planet B: Why climate change is an LGBTQ issue” and “What the queer community brings to the fight for climate justice,” from Brady, Brown and Torres. Goodwin reports that “among the most vulnerable populations for climate change related phenomena is the population of people without housing. LGBTQ young people are 120% more likely to experience homelessness” than those that do not identify themselves as trans or queer (Goodwin). During Pride month, amid the staggering heatwaves of summer, we must not forget to acknowledge and advocate for those unfairly impacted by environmental injustices.
Systems of injustice such as systemic racism, transphobia, discrimination, human rights violations and poverty perpetuate the disproportionate effects of climate change. Those facing challenges of homelessness lack adequate information surrounding climate change, often are exposed to extreme weather phenomena caused by climate change, and are not always offered accessibility to necessary housing. Members of the LGBTQIA+ community may not have access to all emergency services or receive relief support and can be turned away from emergency shelters. An article from the Stockholm Environment Institute, “Climate justice means involving gender and sexual minorities in policy and action,” an essay on a series of workshops in Indonesia and the Philippines, reported that “gender and sexual minorities have limited access to safe spaces and are not always included in response efforts” (Anschell). In response to these systemic issues and the disproportionate effects of socio-environmental challenges, we must include queer and trans activism in our fight for climate justice. In failing to view climate change as a human rights (and therefore an LGBTQIA+) issue, we fail to advocate for those most affected and those most willing to enact change.
The devastating effects of extreme weather phenomena caused by climate change are exacerbated for those without opportunities for safety or support. Eileen Caminiti, in her article “Climate Justice is an LGBTQ Issue,” reported that communities of color, those in the LGBTQ community, and those who are low income are impacted more drastically by the effects of climate change (though they have contributed to it the least) due to “systemic issues like discrimination, unaffordable housing, and unequal pay,” (Caminiti). To acknowledge this disparity and help advocate for those disproportionately suffering she calls for stories centered around the most marginalized voices within the community when working to solve issues of environmentalism such as climate change.
To actually hear queer voices on climate justice, tune in to Our Climate Voices - In Conversation: A Listening Series on Climate Justice and Collective Liberation (https://www.ourclimatevoices.org/listening-series/queer-trans-liberation). “An Episode on Climate Justice & Queer and Trans Liberation,” features five queer and trans climate justice organizers, Gabby Benavent, Sophia Benrud, Orion Camero, Meera Ghani, and Mmabatho Motsamai. Sharing their personal experiences with homophobia and transphobia, the speakers “discuss how struggles for queer and trans liberation connect with fights for climate justice… how queer and trans people, particularly those of color, are vulnerable to the impacts of climate change… and the ways in which systemic violence and oppression towards those who defy gender norms often leave members of queer and trans communities abandoned, homeless, and forced to survive with little to no resources or support in times of climate crisis” (Benavent). In an exploration of the intersections between collective struggle, resistance, history, and healing, Our Climate Voices engages in climate justice and advocates for the most marginalized within the community, speaking for those that often go unheard, ensuring that finally, no one gets left behind.
Social and environmental justice under the scope of intersectionality focuses on the importance of collective liberation. This means equal rights, equal opportunity, and equal treatment for all. “Climate change affects people differently,” research from the Stockholm Environment Institute shows, “and the most discriminated against are most affected, profoundly altering their ability to ensure their rights to safety and access to social justice” (Anschell). In addressing climate change and environmentalism as part of the LGBTQIA+ fight for justice, we emulate “environmental justice.” Lisa Pradhan, in “Why Queer Liberation Is an Environmental Justice Issue,” teaches us that “when we start to pull on the roots of “environmental justice” by looking to the 17 Principles of Environmental Justice that emerged from the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit in 1991, we see a longstanding recognition of how environmental justice must encompass mutual respect and justice for all peoples, free from any form of discrimination or bias”” (Pradhan). Climate change action that advocates for LGBTQIA+ voices ensures inclusive activism through community effort. These communities, imagining diverse and inclusive futures, are examples of what having Pride for both People and Planet really means. During Pride month, let us celebrate the totality of ourselves, the beauty of the world around us and within, let us express our love for the environment and for one another through an indivisible, intersectional lens.
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Written by: Autumn Bryan is an English Literature Student at Florida Atlantic University currently pursuing her Bachelor's degree with Honors Distinctions in Creative Writing and Research Literature. She is a member of the Sigma Tau Delta International English Honor Society and recently completed her Honors Thesis, "Escaping Spectacle through Animal’s Eyes and Approaching Activism: Victims of Violent Voyeurism in “Literary Humanitarianism”." Bryan acted as student moderator for her university, providing advantageous discourse for social and environmental issues during the FAU Breezeway Dialogues, "Did Capitalism Cause Climate Change and is Green Capitalism the Solution?" Upon completion of her degree with the commencement of summer, she strives to further her academic pursuits and continue amplifying voices through literary activism as well as participation in community building
Works Cited: Anschell, Nicole. "Climate justice means involving gender and sexual minorities in policy and action." 20 April 2021. Stockholm Environment Institute. <https://www.sei.org/perspectives/climate-justice-gender-sexual-minorities/>.
Benavent, Gabby, et al. "Our Climate Voices - In Conversation: A Listening Series on Climate Justice and Collective Liberation." An Episode on Climate Justice & Queer and Trans Liberation. cond. Kiana Michaan. By Aletta Brady. 2021.
Brady, Aletta, Phillip Brown and Anthony Torres. "What the queer community brings to the fight for climate justice." 9 April 2019. Grist. <https://grist.org/article/what-the-queer-community-brings-to-the-fight-for-climate-justice/>.
Goodwin, Noah. "There is no Planet B: Why climate change is an LGBTQ issue." 15 March 2019. glaad. <https://www.glaad.org/amp/no-planet-b-why-climate-change-is-an-lgbtq-issue>.
Pradhan, Lisa. "Why Queer Liberation Is an Environmental Justice Issue." 11 June 2021. EARTHJUSTICE. <https://earthjustice.org/blog/2020-june/why-queer-liberation-is-an-environmental-justice-issue>.
Thomas, Leah. The Intersectional Environmentalist: How to Dismantle Systems of Oppression to Protect People + Planet. New York: Voracious / Little, Brown and Company; Hatchette Book Group Inc. , 2022.