There is a rich history of LGBTQ+ climate activism in the US. Many early leaders in the environmental justice space identified as LGBTQ+. That history can be hard to find if you’re not looking for it. Let’s explore the interdependence of LGBTQ+ and green activism.
Audre Lorde
Audre Lorde (1934 – 1992) was a poet and activist. Lorde proudly identified as a “Black, lesbian, mother, warrior, poet.” She used poetry and language to advance civil rights. But her activism also extended to the environment. Her poems advocated for better stewardship of the Earth. She believed in the connection between protecting the Earth and equal rights.
Queer ecology
Audre Lorde’s work also explores the overlap of queer and environmental issues. Her 1982 book, Zami: A New Spelling of My Name, is considered an early ecofeminist work. Her writing also embodies queer ecology.
What is queer ecology? Ingrid Bååth explains:
“Mainstream ecology has often reinforced narrow ideas of what counts as “natural.” For centuries, scientific studies assumed heterosexuality and gender dualism as biological norms — sidelining or ignoring the vast diversity of sexual, reproductive, and gendered behaviour in the more-than-human world. Queer ecology…sees queerness not as an exception in nature, but as part of its very fabric.”
Rachel Carson
Rachel Carson (1907 – 1964) is one of the more well-known biologists and conservationists. Although not “out” at the time, she sent over 900 letters to her lover Dorothy Freedman since the summer they met. Namesake of Rachel Carson Council, she was a talented writer. Carson had a gift for combining science and writing. Her early works were an exploration of the sea and marine life. Her last book, though, was Silent Spring. It was about the damage chemical companies were doing to the environment. That made her an early environmental activist.
Trees for Queens
Our next highlight, Trees for Queens, was an all queer environmental liberation group. It was active during the 1960s when homosexuality was illegal. One night, men with chainsaws cut down the trees in Kew Gardens, a park in Queens, NY. They targeted the park because it was a meeting spot for queer people in the city. This activated the LGBTQ+ community in Queens. The group organized tree replantings in the park. Many of which were dogwood trees! The group organized a rally on August 10, 1969. This was almost two months after Stonewall. They had a rallying cry they chanted through the day:
“Homosexuals Have Rights—And So Do Trees!”
The legacy of queer environmental activism
The legacy of queer environmental activism is thriving today. Dean Jackson is a non-binary activist. They founded Hilltop Urban Gardens (HUG) in Tacoma, WA. They established HUG to address racial justice and food apartheid. Drag Queen Pattie Gonia uses entertainment to raise awareness on environmental justice issues. Pattie Gonia uses the slogan:
“Make nature gay again.”
Rachel Carson wrote in Silent Spring, “Nothing in nature exists alone.” Our fight for justice is intersectional. The work of environmental justice shares its roots with the work of LGBTQ+ equality. The identity of many activists fuels their fight for equality and the planet.
Continue the work of these activists by taking action to keep US forests standing.