On June 28, 1970, the first major organized Pride march— Christopher Street Liberation Day—took place in New York City. Just months earlier, on April 22, the first Earth Day was observed as part of a teach-in concerning environmental issues. Both proved to be watershed moments igniting decades of activism for environmental and social justice.
Uniting these forces was a no brainer, given the shared mindsets and overarching goals. Consider these simple yet powerful words from the Equitable & Just National Climate Platform: “Our vision is that all people and all communities have the right to breathe clean air, live free of dangerous levels of toxic pollution, access healthy food, and share the benefits of a prosperous and vibrant clean economy.”
According to the Endangered Species Coalition, which works to protect endangered and threatened species, “minorities, including the LGBTQ+ community, are underrepresented in the [environmental justice] movement’s systems and structures—and simultaneously at the leading edge of the experience of environmental harms. One example where this inequity plays out is access to clean air. It’s well documented that non-white people bear disproportionate health impacts from exposure to air pollution, due to racial segregation, proximity to pollution sources, and other factors. People who identify as LGBTQ+ are likewise impacted by poor air quality, with air-quality related cancer rates at 12.3% higher and respiratory risks from exposure to hazardous air pollutants at 23.8% greater than that of heterosexuals.”
Working to help combat such inequities are individuals like Rikki Weber, who is a San Francisco-based Legal Practice Manager and Litigation Assistant at Earthjustice. As she told the nonprofit Oregon Wild: “Environmental justice is for all people and achieved by the people. As a queer woman of color, as a person whose layered identities are often pulled apart, compartmentalized and marginalized, I have made it a point to insert my whole identity into my work. I hope that my visibility and the visibility of other LGBTQ+ identified people helps strengthen the environmental movement by allowing us to express our differences and use them to find the commonalities in the ways that we can disrupt the systems that were built to oppress us.”
Over the past several years, several LGBTQ+ environmental organizations have formed. Here are just a few:
Out for Sustainability
https://out4s.org/
The Outdoorist Oath
https://www.outdooristoath.org/
Queer Ecojustice Project
https://www.queerecoproject.org/
Queer Nature
https://www.queernature.org/
Queers X Climate
https://www.queersxclimate.org/
Venture Out Project
https://www.ventureoutproject.com/
There is also 500 Queer Scientists (https://500queerscientists.com/), which is a visibility campaign for LGBTQ+ people and their allies working in STEM and STEM-supporting jobs—a group that collectively represents a powerful force of scientific progress and discovery.
Both the environmental and social justice movements need your talents and support, not just during Pride or on Earth Day, but every day. Take a moment to reflect on what you can do to help, formulate specific goals, and then take steps each day to achieve them. If possible, make a conscious effort to pick up trash when in outdoor areas and follow these simple daily guidelines: https://tinyurl.com/3pmvrpe8
But don’t think of these and related efforts as work, which inevitably will fade off like unfulfilled New Year’s resolutions. For inspiration, look to individuals like Outdoorist Oath founder and drag queen Pattie Gonia, who organizes wilderness hikes, created a job board for queer outdoorists, and even designs eye-catching dresses and wigs made out of recycled trash.
Individuals like Weber and Gonia prove that our community’s creativity and dedication can achieve gains, not only in terms of the LGBTQ+/Gay Rights movement but also for other movements that need us now. Collectively, we helped make critical strides since that first Pride march in 1970. If we all step up to do our part, we can contribute to achieving both environmental and other social justice goals too.
Published on April 6, 2023
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