How Queer Ecology Reveals the Diversity of Nature and Human Experience

Tundra Swans in lower Columbia River, off Svenson Island, Oregon. Photo: Jeffrey St. Clair.

Nature is astonishingly diverse. Across the planet’s oceans, forests, grasslands, and cities, living beings interact in ways that defy rigid expectations. Yet when it comes to discussing queer behaviors in the natural world, we often hear only a handful of familiar examples: same-sex penguin couples raising chicks, male seahorses giving birth, or dolphins engaging in nonreproductive sexual behaviors. These stories tend to be framed as quirky anomalies—curiosities that stand out against a supposedly “normal” background.

But nature has never operated according to the human categories of “normal” or “natural.” The emerging field of queer ecology challenges these assumptions and invites us to see the environment, human identity, and ecological justice through a more expansive lens. By centering diversity—biological, behavioral, cultural, and social—queer ecology shows how deeply interconnected our lives are with the nonhuman world, and how environmental challenges affect LGBTQ+ communities in particular. This perspective is not only for scientists or journalists. It offers all of us a way to understand better the world we live in and the systems that shape our experience of it.

What Is Queer Ecology?

The term “queer ecology” was coined in the 1990s by environmental studies scholar Catriona Sandilands. The idea grew from queer theory and ecological studies, drawing attention to how scientific, cultural, and political structures have historically imposed rigid binaries—male/female, natural/unnatural, normal/deviant—onto both the natural world and human societies.

For centuries, scientific institutions mirrored prevailing social ideas about sex and gender. Beginning in the 19th century, Western science widely assumed that heterosexual reproduction was the universal organizing principle of nature. This led to a narrow understanding of animal behavior, where any same-sex pairing, nonreproductive intimacy, or fluidity in reproductive roles was ignored, pathologized, or simply dismissed as irrelevant.

Queer ecology asks us to reconsider these assumptions. Instead of viewing nature through a narrow human lens, it encourages us to see biodiversity as it truly is: an ever-changing continuum of behaviors, strategies, relationships, and identities—many of which do not fit neatly into binary categories. At its core, queer ecology is about expanding our understanding of what life looks like and how it thrives.

Nature Is Far More Diverse Than We Imagine

When we begin to observe the natural world without preconceived ideas, queer behaviors appear everywhere. One of the clearest examples comes from the Laysan albatross, found in the Pacific, including the Midway Atoll National Wildlife Refuge. In this species, roughly one-third of nesting pairs are female-female. These bonded pairs raise chicks together—successfully—despite the assumption that reproduction must occur solely through heterosexual partnership.

Their behavior flips the conventional narrative: parenting and survival do not depend exclusively on a male-female dynamic. Partnerships take many forms in nature, and success depends on cooperation, care, and adaptability rather than on strict reproductive roles.

Chimpanzees provide another well-documented example of nonreproductive sexuality. They engage in same-sex partnerships and intimate behaviors for reasons unrelated to procreation: building alliances, reducing social tension, strengthening bonds, and creating networks of support within their communities. And in the oceans, clownfish demonstrate sequential hermaphroditism—transitioning from male to female depending on social need and environmental conditions. These transitions are not exceptional; they are integral to the species’ survival. None of these examples is “unnatural.” They simply reflect nature’s vast capacity for diversity.

Sex, Gender, and the Limits of Human Categories

To understand queer ecology, it is essential to distinguish between sex and gender, two concepts often conflated in both scientific and public discourse. In biological sciences, sex refers to a constellation of traits—chromosomes, anatomy, hormones, physiology, gene expression, cells, and behavior. Even in humans, sex exists along a spectrum. In animals, the picture becomes even more varied, with countless reproductive systems and morphologies.

Gender, by contrast, is a uniquely human social construct. It encompasses the cultural and personal ways we express identity—shaped by language, tradition, community norms, and individual experience. Human gender identities evolve across cultures and throughout history; they are not universal, and they do not map cleanly onto biological categories.

Animals do not participate in human cultural systems. While they display complex social structures, power dynamics, and cooperative behaviors, we cannot assign them human gender identities. Yet scientific studies in the late 20th century often blurred the line between sex and gender, misrepresenting animal behaviors by projecting human cultural norms onto them. Queer ecology helps disentangle these concepts by reminding us that nonhuman life does not conform to human expectations—and that human identities, in turn, are far more varied than once assumed.

Nature as Sanctuary for LGBTQ+ Communities

Queer ecology is not only about biology. It also considers the relationship between LGBTQ+ people and the environments they inhabit. For many queer individuals, natural spaces—parks, forests, rivers, coastlines—serve as vital refuges. Away from social pressures or surveillance, nature often becomes a place of autonomy, reflection, and belonging. This connection is deeply personal but also shaped by broader social forces.

Globally, LGBTQ+ youth experience high rates of discrimination, exclusion, and family rejection. Many seek solace outdoors, finding emotional safety where societal structures may fail them. Natural spaces offer a sense of continuity—a reminder that diversity, transformation, and resilience are fundamental aspects of life. This relationship is not incidental. It reflects a long history of queer communities finding ways to exist, flourish, and connect in spaces not originally designed for them.

Exclusion by Design: How Spaces Shape Belonging

Queer ecology also examines how physical spaces—cities, parks, neighborhoods, and public lands—have been historically shaped by heteronormative assumptions. From the 19th century onward, land ownership laws, suburban planning, and park design favored nuclear families and rigid gender roles. Public spaces were built around certain assumptions about who belonged there, how families were structured, and what “proper” social behavior looked like.

National parks in the United States, for example, were created with narratives centered on frontier masculinity, rugged individualism, and heterosexual family recreation. Globally, many environmental institutions were shaped by similar ideals, often excluding women, unmarried individuals, Indigenous communities, and queer people from land-based decision-making.

Even today, the design of public spaces can subtly reinforce exclusion. Areas lacking safety, privacy, or community representation may be less accessible to queer people, particularly trans and gender-nonconforming individuals. Recognizing this history does not undermine the value of parks or environmental conservation. Instead, it helps us understand how ecological narratives have marginalized specific communities—and how we can build more inclusive spaces moving forward.

Environmental Justice and LGBTQ+ Communities

Environmental issues do not affect everyone equally. Queer ecology draws attention to the ways LGBTQ+ communities—especially those who are also marginalized by race, gender, class, disability, or immigration status—are disproportionately burdened by environmental hazards.

Climate change, in particular, amplifies existing inequalities. When floods, wildfires, storms, or heat waves displace populations, LGBTQ+ individuals face heightened risks. Up to 40 percent of homeless youth in the United States identify as LGBTQ+. Globally, queer people who lack family support or legal protections face greater vulnerability during emergencies, when access to shelter, identification documents, or health care may be restricted.

Environmental degradation also affects queer communities in less visible ways. Areas with higher concentrations of same-sex couples have been found to face increased levels of toxic pollution. Housing discrimination pushes many LGBTQ+ individuals into older buildings with lead, asbestos, or poor ventilation. Secondhand smoke exposure is statistically higher in queer social environments, affecting respiratory health—an issue compounded for trans individuals who use chest binders.

During disasters, access to gender-affirming care, medications, community networks, and safe shelters can be disrupted, deepening the physical and emotional toll. Queer ecology connects these realities to broader conversations about environmental justice, reminding us that protecting ecosystems requires protecting the people who live within them.

Lessons from Nature: Adaptation, Transformation, and Belonging

One of queer ecology’s most powerful contributions is its ability to link the resilience found in nature with that of human communities. In the nonhuman world, transformation is common. Clownfish change sex to maintain social stability. Some reptiles can reproduce without males. Many species—from birds to mammals—form lifelong same-sex partnerships that provide care, protection, or shared parenting. These behaviors expand our understanding of what survival can look like.

For transgender people, transitioning—whether socially, medically, or not at all—is about living in alignment with one’s identity. While human experiences are fundamentally different from animal behavior, both reflect a broader truth: life adapts. Life changes. Life finds ways to persist. Recognizing this interconnectedness can help us tell more inclusive stories about nature and our place within it. When we acknowledge the full spectrum of diversity in the living world, we affirm that LGBTQ+ individuals belong—not as exceptions, but as part of the natural fabric of life.

Building a More Inclusive Environmental Future

Queer ecology offers a vision of environmentalism rooted in diversity, justice, and interconnectedness. By widening our understanding of nature, identity, and resilience, this perspective encourages us to design public spaces that welcome all people and to create environmental policies that acknowledge and address the needs of marginalized populations. It also calls for building stronger alliances between environmental and LGBTQ+ movements, recognizing how their struggles and goals often intersect. Central to this approach is elevating the voices and experiences of front-line communities, whose insights are essential to shaping equitable solutions. Ultimately, queer ecology reminds us that biodiversity and human diversity strengthen one another, offering a more inclusive path toward environmental well-being.

Environmental challenges—from climate change to species extinction—demand collective solutions. When environmental movements partner with queer communities, they expand their capacity to address inequities and envision new possibilities for care, safety, and belonging. Rather than viewing queerness in nature as a novelty, we can understand it as a powerful reminder of life’s endless forms and expressions.

Queer ecology teaches us that rigid binaries—natural/unnatural, male/female, normal/other—limit our understanding of the world. When we release those constraints, we gain a clearer, richer picture of the planet and the people who inhabit it. As we confront ecological crises and imagine more inclusive futures, queer ecology invites us to see diversity not as a challenge but as a strength. It helps us reimagine environmental narratives, dismantle outdated assumptions, and cultivate a world where all identities—human and nonhuman—are acknowledged and celebrated.