The value of incorporating queer experiences into ecopedagogy

Content Warning: This summary discusses suicide, particularly within queer communities.

The current dominant ideology within education is one of neoliberalism and anthropocentrism where human beings and human consumption are valued and prioritized over non-human life, leading to environmental degradation. Ecopedagogy is a foundation of educational practices that promotes ecological ethics and politics while opposing neoliberalism, in an effort to build a society that is more environmentally sustainable. Past research investigated how queer theory intersects with environmental education, but there has been limited response to call for further research on the topic. Queerness has many definitions, but the author of this paper considered it as experiences outside of heterosexual norms and discussed how incorporating queer experiences into ecopedagogy can improve environmental education and society's future.

Education and pedagogy play an essential role in how students learn to understand themselves, the world around them, and how they fit into the world. However, this orientation typically aligns with existing cultural and gendered norms. If educators do not intentionally discuss alternative and diverse perspectives, norms will persist. The author argued that (dis)orientation is equally valuable in the process of environmental education because it can help students think differently, reconsider norms, and disrupt the existing ideology. This reconsideration of society's norms and systems is especially important in the context of how existing norms and systems are leading to environmental destruction and collapse.

The queer and LGBTQ community has been historically marginalized. Although there has been progress in the acceptance of LGBTQ identities, queerness is still considered outside of many societies' heterosexual norms. Including queer experiences into ecopedagogy thereby increases diversity and openness to alternate experiences. The author argued that openness to other perspectives will positively affect student consideration of these diverse perspectives as well as the dignity of non-humans.

One way in which the marginalization of the LGBTQ community is evident, is the higher frequency of death by suicide and suicide attempts by individuals who identify as queer and LGBTQ. The “It Gets Better Project” was created in response to several deaths in the LGBTQ community between 2010-2011. It supports LGBTQ youth through video testimonials of people sharing stories of their own difficulties growing up while identifying as a part of the LGBTQ community. The author linked the hope shared in these videos for a better future for LGBTQ youth, to the hope for a better environmental future spurred by environmental education and ecopedagogy. In addition to his praise for the “It Gets Better Project,” the author also considered how this effort may not be supporting radical shifts needed in education. Such that, the project naturalizes bullying for LGBTQ youth, and that it is something they need to overcome, thus the pressure is on individuals. By embracing a queer ecopedagogy, educators can inspire students to challenge the current norms and hope for a more inclusive future socially and environmentally.

This article does present some limitations. It is a thought piece by the author, with supporting research for the claims, but it does not experimentally test queer ecopedagogies. Although not a limitation, it is important to note that the author identified himself as gay, so his research has been built upon his lived experience.

Queer experience should be incorporated into ecopedagogy because it deepens inclusivity, reforms societal norms and strives for a different future. To promote a queer ecopedagogy, practitioners should know and discuss examples of non-human queer relationships, like the gay African penguin couple in the Toronto Zoo, and ask students to reflect on how those examples impact their understanding of human queerness. The author also recommended resisting the idea that queerness should be integrated into neoliberal consumer-oriented society, and instead supported the idea of queerness helping to create a different society where the environment and holistic well-being are valued above capitalist consumption.