By Austen Needleman As we celebrate the queer liberation movement this Pride month, those of us interested in environmental justice must consider the growing evidence that the discrimination LGBTQ+ people face in housing, healthcare, and more has led them to experience disproportionate impacts of environmental hazards. To continue building an inclusive movement, we must examine the impact of environmental injustice on LGBTQ+ people and fight for solutions that protect queer and trans people from environmental harm. The Disproportionate Impact of Environmental Hazards on LGBTQ+ People
Housing, healthcare, and employment discrimination against LGBTQ+ people have led to environmental health disparities. Significantly, many queer people face additional discrimination and vulnerability due to race, poverty, ability, and other factors that intersect with their sexual and gender identity. These intersecting forms of marginalization make every fight for environmental justice a fight for the health and safety of queer people, at the same time that the unique forms of harm LGBTQ+ people face require tailored solutions. Discriminatory housing and employment policies lead to higher rates of poverty and homelessness among the LGBTQ+ community, and play a significant role in their exposure to environmental harms. While data on where LGBTQ+ people live is limited, studies that have attempted to quantify this risk have found that places where same-sex couples live have higher levels of hazardous air pollution. Healthcare discrimination also results in disproportionate harms to queer people. LGBTQ+ people, especially those who are transgender or gender non-conforming, face a number of barriers to receiving quality care, and many report avoiding care because of discrimination and mistreatment. When queer people experience the consequences of exposure to toxins in the environment, they are less likely to seek and receive appropriate care, further compounding harm. The impact of HIV and AIDS on the LGBTQ+ community, particularly among Black queer people, adds to these health-related problems. LGBTQ+ people are also particularly vulnerable to the impact of climate disasters such as hurricanes and wildfires. Analysis of past disasters shows that queer people are often denied resources as part of government and non-governmental disaster relief responses. How We Can Build a More Inclusive Environmental Justice MovementThe disproportionate harm that LGBTQ+ people face due to climate change and environmental injustice requires that environmental justice organizations become more inclusive in three ways: 1. Advocate for specific policies that reduce environmental harm to LGBTQ+ people. Advocate for nondiscrimination policies in federal and state disaster relief. Environmental justice organizations can exercise solidarity by bringing LGBTQ+-led organizations into discussions with policymakers to ensure they have a voice in shaping disaster relief policies.
Fight discrimination in housing and healthcare. Ensure that LGBTQ+ voices and issues are included in discussions of housing and healthcare discrimination.
Support policies that make it easier for people to get appropriate identification. Transgender and nonbinary people often have trouble getting identification documents that match their name and gender, especially if they are undocumented or homeless. EJ organizations should support policies that make it easier to get proper identification, while ensuring that people without proper documentation are included in disaster relief and nondiscrimination policies.
Include LGBTQ+ people in research on environmental harms. There is a lack of data on the disproportionate impact of environmental hazards on LGBTQ+ people. When working with researchers or government agencies to quantify these harms, push for including sexual and gender identity information and ethical data practices to ensure the safety of research participants.
2. Make environmental justice organizations safe places for LGBTQ+ people. Ensure that training for volunteers emphasizes respect for LGBTQ+ people. When organizations onboard new volunteers, it is important to send a strong message that LBGTQ+ are welcome and respected. Volunteers should be trained on how to use gender-neutral language, how to ask for and respect people’s pronouns, the necessity of calling people only by language and labels they use for themselves, and how to check assumptions to avoid misgendering or excluding anyone.
Be intentional in asking for and respecting pronouns in meetings. Introductions in meetings should normalize everyone sharing their pronouns, but should also be cautious about forcing any single person to disclose them.
Track the experiences of LGBTQ+ volunteers and community members. Questions about LGBTQ+ identities and experiences as part of the organization should be included in anonymous feedback surveys to understand whether organization members feel welcome and respected as their full, authentic selves. It is important, though, to make such questions optional to avoid pressure to self-disclose.
Create and uphold structures to prevent discrimination. All volunteers, community members, and employees should be familiar with your organization’s nondiscrimination policy and how they can bring up complaints of mistreatment. When complaints are raised, it is important that action is decisive and consistent to ensure that LGBTQ+ people, as well as other marginalized people, feel safe in the organization.
3. Work in solidarity with LGBTQ+-led organizations fighting for queer liberation. These organizations can provide knowledge and connections, while your organization may be able to mobilize your members to support their initiatives, whether or not they are directly related to the environment.
If you are interested in reading more about the intersection of LGBTQ+ issues and environmental justice, the resources that inspired and informed this article are listed below: | 
