Recognising the diversity of nature is a way to develop a more inclusive vision of society and integrate ecology with the queer approach.
Abandoning a heteronormative perspective and looking at nature through the lens of queerness would help us become more sustainable: queer ecology embraces values that can give rise to new solutions for complex issues, such as climate change. Queer ecology recognises the diversity of nature to inspire a more inclusive and fluid approach to business, design and culture: as Gen Z continues to reject traditional binary views of the world, from gender to lifestyle, its values are shifting towards expression, acceptance and radical inclusivity.
Globally, six in ten Gen Z and Millennials have suffered from eco-anxiety in the past month, while almost half — 42 per cent — intend to leave their job (or already have) due to climate concerns. Around the world, Gen Z individuals are roughly twice as likely as Millennials and four times as likely as Gen X and Boomers to identify as non-binary, including pansexual and asexual. "Binary nature," after all, is not the only kind in the animal and plant kingdom. Fungi, for example, don't have it: it is rare for a fungus to have only two biological sexes, and some, such as Schizophyllum commune, can mate in as many as 23,000 different ways.
By incorporating queer ideology into environmental studies, the aim is to challenge the traditional narrative and provide alternatives. Queer ecology is a body of theories that seeks to unite queerness and ecology in order to shift paradigms away from the binary, rigid and heteronormative way of understanding nature, towards interdependence and fluidity. These cross-sectoral and interdisciplinary practices aim to refute compulsory heterosexuality. If new generations will be more inclined to view the world through other lenses, such as those of queerness, then producers of goods, services and cultural products will likely also have to adapt in order to find a common language that is more inclusive and engaged with sustainability issues.
The presumed heterosexuality — and therefore the oppression of non-heterosexual identities — in biology has for centuries formed the basis of scientific study. The intrinsic queerness of nature has long been ignored, suppressed and dismissed in order to reflect society's underlying bias against non-heterosexual and non-cis gender identities. Yet gender and sex in nature are fluid across a wide range of animal and plant species. The duality that reflects our current social norms and worldviews is defined as "natural" by convention, while deviations from it — such as homosexuality — are defined as "unnatural." In reality, there is nothing unnatural about queerness. Nature is far more complex than we believe, and queer ecology aims to bring to light aspects that can help the climate movement more accurately reflect the natural world.
Queerness is present in countless animal and plant species: a common example is homosexual and homoromantic relationships among male penguins. Although homosexuality in particular has been studied in countless animal species, we are still reluctant to accept queerness as natural. The primitive idea of reproduction as the primary purpose of sexual and romantic relationships limits our objective and scientific understanding of nature, while simultaneously fuelling anti-queer rhetoric in Western social norms. Not only does our understanding of nature become the basis for what we consider natural, but also for what we consider moral or appropriate behaviour. By approaching biology as fluid rather than rigidly binary, however, we can re-examine our conception of nature, which in turn influences our social belief systems.
Queer ecology inspires new ways of thinking that allow companies to align with consumer priorities. American author Jeffrey Hull introduced the idea of the "age of convergence", explaining that all the dichotomies embedded in our minds prevent us from creating new ways of thinking to address complex issues such as the climate. With the flattening of hierarchies, the explosion of diversity and the emergence of networked virtual organisations, it will be necessary to develop an entirely new way of thinking and producing. The leaders of the future will need to possess these qualities, as will goods and services companies, which will find themselves facing increasingly complex production and market realities.
Brazilian clothing brands Osklen and Farm Rio, for example, have made this a top priority within their diversity and inclusion initiatives, combining the use of responsible materials with the protection of workers and minorities. Afrika Prjoect is an artisanal lingerie and knitwear brand that seeks to redefine the word lingerie, extending it to the male universe with which it is not traditionally associated. Moshions is a Rwandan brand that offers genderless collections made from reclaimed materials and inspired by the country's manufacturing traditions of the 1920s.
Rejecting gender labelling in clothing is not only a way to bring comfort to those who do not identify with binarism: offering garments that adapt to multiple body types carries both symbolic and practical significance. Inter-species thinking will become an increasingly fundamental part of consumer mindset and attitude. Companies must call into question their hetero-Western-centric approach to business, designing new ways to integrate empathy into their operations.
An interdependent mindset can help business leaders grasp the complexity of climate change and develop modular solutions. In an increasingly polarised world, queer ecology enables companies to adopt a less radical mindset that celebrates diversity, inclusivity and multiple perspectives. Our detachment from nature is evident in the way we describe ourselves as superior, evolved and separate from it, and ultimately feel morally entitled to exploit it as we please. Understanding that we are part of a whole, and that the way in which organised society has built its rules and values is not the only possible path, is key to shifting the paradigm of how we live and consume in favour of a more responsible attitude. Towards the environment as much as towards people.