Intersecting Movements
What we know today as “climate justice” in fact started out as an environmental justice movement, with the Memphis Sanitation Strike in Tennessee, USA in 1968. The strike was an action taken against unfair treatment and environmental justice concerns for garbage workers in the city of Memphis. From there, various actions were taken by (particularly Black) communities over the years, in response to their experiences of the impacts of toxic waste, landfill sites and pollution placed disproportionately closer to their communities.
But while the sanitation workers were striking in Memphis, and the civil rights leaders were marching in Washington, there were riots taking place in New York and California against police brutality and harassment towards lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and other queer people.
In this way, the fight for a liveable climate and better future for all of us has been waged in tandem for decades. While efforts were not always closely coordinated, it is clear by the overlapping timeline shared by these movements that oppressed communities were empowered by each other to organize and to fight for the changes that they wanted to see in the world.
In fact, environmental justice as a concept emerged from the First National People of Color Environmental Leadership Summit of 1991, which led to the publication of the 17 Principles of Environmental Justice. In summary, the principles sought to unite a diverse and international community of peoples of colour to resist the degradation of their communities, uphold the sacredness of the Earth, insist on mutual respect and justice for all peoples, promote economic alternatives that were healthier and safer for their communities, and seek compensation for instances of injustice.
The coalition model portrayed by historical movements for equality and better living and working conditions is one we should always be mindful of. As Lisa Pradhan notes, “Once we stop seeing these fights for humanity as separate, we open ourselves up to the possibility of learning from each other in deeper ways.”
The more contemporary Rainbow Rebellion movement is a wonderful example of this kind of coalition-building in the present. Starting with the #NoPrideInEcocide hashtag in 2019, Pride London joined forces with Extinction Rebellion, to declare a climate emergency and set the intention of making Pride in London carbon neutral by 2020. Since Pride 2022, the Rainbow Rebellion joined in to connect the movements for climate justice and LGTBQIA+ rights:
“The queer community has stood and continues to stand up to demand social justice; we now need to demand climate justice as well. That’s why we decided to come to Soho, the historic heart of the queer community in London, to ask the queer community to join us.
In the Caribbean
Our local Caribbean context may be distinct from Global North developments, but the movement towards justice and freedom for all is necessarily intertwined:
Historically, Caribbean countries have grappled with deeply entrenched homophobia rooted in religious beliefs inherited from colonization. These ingrained attitudes persist at both legal and social levels, making progress slower here at home. Despite these ongoing challenges, the resilience and spirit of the LGBTQ+ communities shine through during Pride Month. It serves as a reminder that even in the face of adversity, love, acceptance and unity prevail.
In fact, many Pride parades now take place in the Caribbean, from the Dominican Republic, to Jamaica, to Barbados, to Curacao, Trinidad and Tobago, Guyana, Suriname, and many islands in between. And slowly but surely, the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals are expanding in the region particularly around same-sex conduct between consenting adults. Same sex marriage for the most part is only legal in Caribbean territories of France, the Netherlands and the US, and these territories are also the only places where trans rights and protections are officially recognized.
Back to the Connection with Climate
“While disasters do not discriminate, relief and recovery practices do.” – The Climate Reality Project
In a world where LGTBQ+ youth are 120% more likely to experience homelessness than their cisgender, heteronormative peers, that makes queer folks more vulnerable to climate impacts like hurricanes, storms, and floods in our increasingly variable and unpredictable weather seasons. If you are marginalized in society on a good day, the reality is that you are more likely to be left out in times of emergency. Furthermore, many disaster-relief and recovery services worldwide are provided by faith-based organizations that maintain anti-LGBTQ beliefs and practices.
“The people who are going to be most impacted by climate change are our people,” says Lindi von Mutius, a board member at Out4Sustainability, an organization focused on co-creating climate resilience and environmental justice by and for LGBTQIA+ communities.
“And when you look statistically at who experiences poverty in this country, it’s the LGBTQ community, it’s trans people. Our trans brothers and sisters are going to be the ones excluded from emergency disaster relief. They’re the ones who are going to face violence.” – Lindi von Mutius, 2021.
There are many factors that increase vulnerabilities for LGBTQ+ communities during or after a disaster, including:
- Isolation
- Distrust
- Disrespect
- Lack medications
- No affirmation of gender or gender identity
- Harassment and violence
- Survival sex
Only six countries in 2021 included LGBTQIA+ people in their official policies related to disaster preparedness, response or recovery. This means that thinking about LGBTQIA+ people is either an afterthought or inconsequential to officials. When these populations are not included in the full range of planning activities, it is unlikely that their needs will be met before, during or after a disaster. To change this, we must start to institute more LGBT inclusive disaster planning tools.
Any vision for climate justice must address the needs of queer communities, “because the upheavals of climate change will amplify the ways that prejudice already makes shelter, income, and safety more precarious” says Maz Ali.
Queer liberation is a natural extension of our work to make the world better, more inclusive and more resilient for the shocks and changes we already face, and those still to come. Our struggles against oppression and for inclusion, justice and sustainability are indivisible.
Author: Alicia Richins
Sustainable Impact Strategist | SDG Champion | Climate Justice Advocate | Climate Futures Writer
