#queering the wild | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

queering-ecology · 2 months

Text

Queering the Wild by Micha Rahder (2019) [final]

Queer Intimacy in Non-Human Animals

The author introduces several examples of ‘queerness’ across the animal kingdom—the ‘birds and the bees’, --a lot about birds since we have a lot of research on them. The study on zebra finches reminded me of the concept of ‘naturecultures’; they choose their mates and often do not stray, same-sex or otherwise and so this supports the idea that there is more to ‘bird life than breeding and that the social aspects of bonding might be just as important’ (02).

“The idea that sexual activity might be about more than just making babies is hard for people who were raised in contemporary U.S. American culture in particular, with its focus on abstinence-only sex ed and heavy legislation of uteruses and the people who have them” (02) but finches, bonobos, dolphins or ‘female fish that prefer males that have had sex with other males, all chip away at that anthropocentric frame’ (02).

“Because scientists carry their cultural biases into their work, most research approaches these kinds of queer traits and behaviors as problems to be solved” (02). Heteronormativity has made scientists ‘run in circles’ trying to explain why such ‘maladaptive’, ‘perverted’ traits appear throughout the natural world such as nutritional deficiencies, the stress of captivity, that they’re just ‘dumb’ and can’t tell the difference, it’s a ‘misfire’ attempt at heterosexuality, or they’re just ‘practicing’.

“Evolutionary biologists need to think about same-sex sexual behavior in non-human animals as more than just a problem to be solved” and “same sex sexual behavior is both a trait that is potentially shaped by selection and a force that shapes selection on other traits” or they should “consider how same-sex sexual activities shape ongoing evolutionary processes” (03).

Extending Our Chosen Family

Evolution has no “direction or purpose” and humans are not “the representation of the ultimate expression of life on earth” (03). If we look at microbiology, we can see true diversity. “Only recently have scientists started to pay attention to how much [microbes exchanging DNA] might be driving evolution” (03). Fungi are also an incredible example of sexual diversity; with one species alone having more than 23,000 documented mating types (sexes) and individuals can physically ‘merge or separate in different environmental contexts’ making it difficult to differentiate them.

‘Symbiopoesis’ or “how organisms can be intimately involved in each other’s development” (squid and light emitting bacteria, bees and pollination, acacia trees and ants, wasps and figs).(03) Again this reminds me of the Lakota concept of Mitakuye Oyasin—we are all related, all my relatives.

Competition//Cooperation is another binary that queer ecology can challenge.

“Queering nature means learning about our connectedness with all the living earth. Here, the classic queer recognition of chosen family extends beyond humans, recognizing our kinship and interdependence with our companion animals, the foods we eat, our microbes and others. It means taking pleasure in those connections, learning to recognize pleasure in others and understanding how our human identities, gender expressions and sexual behaviors are only a small piece of the wide, queer living world” (04).

Queer ecology asks us to be curious about the ‘magnificent overabundance of reality’ (Bagemihl). “Breaking free from the historical biases of science allows us to move forward together with other life on earth, rather than thinking ourselves as separate from or above it. That kind of hierarchical thinking has kept queer and other marginalized communities away from the benefits of being outdoors and has led directly to the tangle of global environmental crises in which we find ourselves now. Learning from non-humans is a great way to undo these legacies” (04).

#queering the wild #queer ecology #queer nature #ecofeminism #heteronormativity #queer theory #critical ecology #environmental politics #ecology #queer history #mitakuye oyasin #evolution #naturecultures #Symbiopoesis

37 notes · View notes

rustchild · 8 months

Text

desperately craving weird surrealist arthurania. Knights with no faces wandering through the mists. Seams between Christian and pre-Christian Britain gaping like open wounds. Beafts and visions. Maybe a monk. Maybe the monk is gay

#This post brought to you by remembering that The Green Knight exists #and longing to live in the alternate universe where it launched a whole genre of high quality queer indie arthurania retellings #craving themes of guilt honor repression wildness etc etc #bonus points if it includes critique of the whole divine right of kings English empire imaginary that can accompany Arthur retellings #I would write it myself but alas! I have no brain #Mine

11K notes · View notes

minorheroics · 5 months

Text

#doctor they diagnosed you with queer a long time ago sorry you had to find out this way #doctor who #wild blue yonder #tenth doctor #fourteenth doctor

6K notes · View notes

troutreznor · 10 days

Text

anyways op had me blocked when i wanted to reblog this photo set and they didn't have a source on their post either so yknow i will provide for us all <3

Lil Nas X for The Neighborhood Talk

#at least that was the only source i could find actually oof #lil nas x #queer poc #gay #he's so pretty it's wild #im gonna post some more pics from his insta also

2K notes · View notes

glasswarproject · 11 months

Text

Recreating “Guardian Sword++” from Zelda Breath of the Wild

10K notes · View notes

palipunk · 11 months

Text

Shouldn’t be a controversial opinion but even homophobic Palestinians don’t deserve to be carpet bombed, have their homes destroyed, be thrown into jail, tortured, and be at the mercy of a settler colonial state that seeks to get rid of them regardless of orientation - how am I seeing “they should only genocide the homophobic Palestinians” and “homophobic Palestinians deserve what’s coming to them” from white queers who say they’re against the actions of the state of israel? You’re not pro palestine, you’re a homonationalist. Lgbt Palestinians don’t want you.

#in response to the absolute hell white queers on Twitter are putting me through #sorry you’re offended that I don’t believe in mass killing my own people #palestine #free palestine #my twt got locked over this which is wild

8K notes · View notes

grandadtwelve · 5 months

Text

I know that donna was like “haha yeah doctor you’ve always been kinda gay” but it’s better 2 me if the doctor actually meant “oh I say that shit out loud now” the same way he said that about verbalizing his feelings/saying “love”. bc do I think the doctor was completely unaware of any and all attraction they’ve ever had to men? nah not at all. do I think the doctor has ever seen an attractive person and immediately gone “yeah. smash.” out loud? no sir

#also thank you rtd for setting up ncuti for getting to be queer as hell w out people being like ITS JUST BC NCUTIS QUEER!!!1!#tenteen #fourteenth doctor #dw spoilers #dw 60th #wild blue yonder #doctor who #mios #500 #1k #3k

3K notes · View notes

alienbycomics · 11 months

Text

A Legend of Zelda fan comic I made with a twist 🏳️‍⚧️ Happy pride month! (No TOTK spoilers)

#legend of zelda #breath of the wild #tears of the kingdom #loz zelda #trans zelda #lgbtq comics #trans comic #trans pride #trans artist #indie comics #zelda comic #ocarina of time #queer comics #trans link #non binary artist

6K notes · View notes

critter-catcher · 10 months

Text

On this day of freedom, let's talk about how bald eagles are queer!

It starts with a female eagle named Hope and a male named Valor I. The two settled down to neat together, however Valor I wasn't a great dad. He did show up to incubate the eggs and basically never came around.

In comes another male, Valor II. He immediately did what a good eagle dad is supposed to, incubate, maintain the best, all that. This lead to him becoming Hope's new mate.

Here's where it gets interesting, Valor I didn't seem to mind and actually stuck around! Eventually Hope started mating with both of them, and Valor I even learned to be a good dad!

Unfortunately in 2017 Hope was killed by intruding eagles, but! The two male's actually stuck together and successfully raised their chicks!

Soon enough a new female named Starr came along and joined the two, and now she mates with both males every season!

This arrangement allows for the eagles to have a much more successful rate of raising chicks and fighting off other predators!

This particular story isn't the only one! Bald eagles have been seen in multiple arrangements including two females and one male!

#animals #nature #critters #wild life #wildlife #animal facts #facts #birds #bald eagle #pride #lgbt #lgbtq #queer #polyamory #america #fourth of july

4K notes · View notes

batri-jopa · 1 year

Text

I love my life highly satisfied just being myself

(Female version here)

4K notes · View notes

queering-ecology · 2 months

Text

Queering the Wild by Micha Rahder (2019) [prt1]

The author begins by discussing common clickbait headlines about gay penguins and genderqueer lions and contends that they’re only effective due to heteronormativity. “What we call ‘queerness’ is the norm in nature, not the exception.” And “Once you look beyond animals to all life on earth, well, things get even more queer” (01).

The frameworks we rely on to understand nature (ecology, evolutionary theory, biology, etc.) are not neutral, but tangled up with histories of racism, colonialism and heterosexism and can keep marginalized people away from trying to understand the natural world.

Queer Ecology “seeks to abolish the idea of a ‘pure’ nature altogether. Ironically this allows us to get closer to those living things we learned to recognize as ‘wild’, ‘exotic’ or even ‘alien’”(01). This makes me think of those same clickbait articles that discuss recently discovered animals at the bottom of the ocean that are often called ‘alien’—those animals have likely been here far longer than we have.

Queer Ecology shares ‘important resonances’ with anti-racist, indigenous, and feminist theories. “Changing how we think about nature changes how we relate to the world around us and can broaden and strength struggles for environmental justice” (01).

#queering the wild #ecofeminism #queer ecology #heteronormativity #queer theory #critical ecology #environmental politics #environmental justice #colonialism #ecology #erotophobia #queer history #environmental science #science

23 notes · View notes

redshoes-blues · 5 months

Text

RTD said I’m going to give the gays what they want: existential horror and Fourteen being Donna’s gay best friend

#obviously the doctor has always been canonically queer but it’s nice to see that confirmation all the same #doctor who #wild blue yonder #dw spoilers #dw specials #fourteenth doctor

2K notes · View notes

filmgifs · 1 year

Photo