A diverse crowd of two-spirit, queer, and trans people gathered in San Francisco before the "Queers 4 Climate Justice" march in 2018. Photo by Devlin Shand.
In the fall of 2019, climate change activist Greta Thunberg attended one of the United States’ largest “Fridays for Future” marches in New York City. In front of 250,000 people, she proclaimed, “We deserve a safe future. And we demand a safe future. Is that really too much to ask?". To say that this request is not unreasonable would be an understatement, yet it is important to examine whether this “we '' allows all of the voices affected by this climate crisis to be heard. Socioeconomic insecurities faced by the LGBTQIA2S+ community are often amplified by the impacts of climate change. Forced onto the frontlines of this crisis due to discrimination, the LGBTQIA2S+ community offers a more nuanced understanding of the impacts of this disaster on our planet and its people. By inserting the LGBTQIA2S+ climate experience into mainstream climate activism, livable futures can be demanded for all rather than simply those who are most visible.
The LGBTQIA2S+ community is more directly affected by climate change than other groups in and outside of Canada. Around 25% to 40% of Canadian homeless youth in shelters identify as part of the LGBTQIA2S+ community; with many still in the streets, these number may be even higher. Members of this community are disproportionately represented in homeless populations both domestically and internationally as they are forced into vulnerable living situations by discrimination and familial and societal rejection. This insecurity leaves them more susceptible to harm from extreme fluctuations in weather patterns brought on by climate change. In 2020 alone, Canada has had the hottest summers and coldest winters on record, as well as higher sea levels in coastal areas and increased smog levels in Western Canada, displacing many homeless LGBTQIA2S+ youth. The challenges faced by this group thus offer a unique perspective on climate change that may be difficult to grasp by many climate activists. The LGBTQIA2S+ community’s experience with climate change paints a more inclusive picture of the crisis’ real impacts on marginalized groups which leads them to become an increasingly at-risk group in Canada as well as internationally.
Not only is the Canadian LGBTQIA2S+ community reeling from the effects of this climate crisis, but LGBTQIA2S+ immigrants and asylum seekers worldwide are also disproportionately affected due to housing and resource insecurities. Respondents of a survey conducted by York University and the Law Foundation of Ontario spoke of homophobia and transphobia within the immigrant and refugee-serving sector, causing many to hide their identities in fear of persecution or of being sent away.
Refugee and resettlement camps can also be hotbeds for discrimination, with a lack of acknowledgement of the need for improved functionality and additional staff sensitivity training from states. Many LGBTQIA2S+ claimants choose to seek out their own forms of shelter, further putting themselves at risk of climate change’s impacts. In Jamaica, many queer and trans people are forced to leave their homes to escape persecution, living under extreme conditions in sewers across the capital city of Kingston. As an island nation, Jamaica is highly susceptible to devastating hurricanes and extreme weather, putting these homeless communities at risk. In extreme cases such as Phillip Brown’s, the constant policing of their gender identity and ensuing discrimination leads them to flee their country entirely in search of a better life. Including such stories in mainstream climate activism can help give a stronger sense of urgency to the LGBTQIA2S+ community’s unique climate struggles, specifically their demands for adequate housing and special care for homeless LGBTQIA2S+ people and climate refugees.
By utilizing stories of LGBTQIA2S+ climate-related struggles, climate activism can better represent those most affected by the crisis. The incorporation of queer liberation into climate activism is therefore of utmost importance. Queer liberation is a movement concerned with the rebuilding of structures of security and the insertion of queer identities subordinated by other “equality movements,” overall seeking to amplify LGBTQIA2S+ needs. When it comes to the fight against climate change, this community has so much wisdom to share yet so often seems to take a backseat in the mainstream climate movement. Amplifying LGBTQIA2S+ voices can help ensure equal access to justice for all and offer a nuanced perspective on human support to make climate discussions more impactful and inclusive. Truly livable futures for all can only be achieved and advocated for under one climate activist narrative.
Greta Thunberg is right: we all deserve a safe future, where everyone is safe from the climate crisis and granted equal justice. For this to happen, however, mainstream climate activism must listen to and include LGBTQIA2S+ voices and perspectives. After years of being on the frontlines of this climate crisis as a result of socioeconomic insecurities and discrimination, LGBTQIA2S+ individuals hold valuable knowledge and important perspectives. By shifting our focus to include this often forgotten yet highly relevant community, we can create a future that is representative and accessible to all.
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