Tonight, the sun sets in June and rises at the dawn of July. However, before we bid farewell to a productive and exciting month, WPI would like to take a moment to celebrate and pay tribute to the LGBTQ+ community. Our industry is vibrant and diverse, and we take pride in the queer leaders who make a positive impact in society every day.
Historically, there has been a strong crossover between LGBTQ+ activists and environmental activists. These individuals have not only participated in advocating for environmental justice and protection, but they have often led the charge through a philosophy known as “queer environmentalism” or “queer ecology.” To learn more about queer environmentalism and the intersectionality between queerness and climate activism, read this article by Clean Water.
Understanding intersectionality and how certain populations experience the effects of climate change at a more severe rate than others is crucial when discussing solutions and mitigation strategies for the climate crisis. Queer individuals have been at the forefront of these discussions and protests, dedicating their voices to reducing environmental pollutants and harm.
One population known for their powerful resistance to colonialism, colonial ideas of queerness, and environmental destruction are Two Spirits, individuals indigenous to Turtle Island (North America) who possess both masculine and feminine spirits. Bani Amor discusses the modern resistance of Two Spirit individuals in their article “Queering the Environmental Movement”, saying, “This Two Spirit resistance to environmental degradation was more visible than ever at Standing Rock, where Natives and allies gathered in 2016 to oppose the Dakota Access pipeline running near reservation land and through sacred sites in North Dakota.”
In their article for the Earth Island Journal, Amor interviewed a Two Spirit individual named Cecelia Rose LaPointe, the Ojibway and Métis director of the Native Justice Coalition, about this resistance. In the interview, LaPointe “asserted that the definition of environmental violence ‘must be expanded to name discrimination towards Two-Spirits, the sterilization of our women, and [fighting] toxic buildings, pipelines, and mining.’”
This shift in expansion of the definition is not only important but also necessary to understand the risks posed by a changing climate and create mitigation strategies for those most vulnerable. LaPointe continues to discuss this in greater depth in the rest of Amor’s stunning article, found at this link: Queering the Environmental Movement.
It is the activism of people like LaPointe that paves the way for broader dialogue about the impact of the climate crisis on marginalized populations. When examining how queerness functions within the larger conversation of environmental justice, platforming Indigenous voices and queer people of color are central to creating lasting, positive change.
As a central water industry authority, WPI acknowledges the importance of environmental protections and strives to listen and learn from queer environmentalists leading the charge. To hear from renowned queer ecologists, visit this link: Top 15 Queer Ecology Activists | Queer Ecology, Mapped.
