I’m reading through papers, books and reports related to queerness, the environment, and occasionally other topics. As I read, I’m taking notes so I can refer back to my old readings and remember their key points more easily. Why not post my notes here, so you can all learn with me?

The bulk of each article will be a summary of the reading, and will then end with my thoughts. Square brackets throughout the summary indicate comments from me.

Citation: Higgins, K., Kilpatrick, C., Atkin, S., & Dahl, S. (2023). Queer vulnerability & resilience to natural disasters. 7^th UCU LGBT+ Research Conference: Proud/Loud/Heard… ? Exploring LGBT+ identity, being and experiences, May 2023. https://pure.ulster.ac.uk/ws/portalfiles/portal/213837614/Queer_vulnerability_resilience_to_natural_disasters.pdf

Introduction

• “A natural disaster is typically defined in the natural science sphere as a negative interaction between geophysical elements and the human socio-economic sphere that leaves hefty and long-lasting impacts on the latter, including loss of life and property.”
  • The force of the event is too great for institutions, who were overpowered and could not respond.
  • The event could not have been predicted or caused by humans.
• Social constructionism holds that reality is not purely objective, “but is instead influenced by human interpretations, meanings, and social interactions.”
  • Different cultures and societies have different ideas of what constitutes a disaster. This shapes responses and which social groups are worst affected.
  • “Marginalised and disadvantaged communities often bear a disproportionate burden of the impacts and may face greater challenges in accessing resources, receiving assistance, and recovering from the disaster.”
  • The media may omit or even blame marginalised groups in coverage of disasters. This further shapes who has access to institutional adaptation and recovery.
  • Highlights the importance of social interactions, collective meanings, and social processes in response and recovery.
• This paper holds that disasters are not really natural for queer people.
  • Two reasons.
    • Caused by humanity’s actions (climate change).
    • Lack of inclusivity sees queer people excluded from recovery.
  • While queer people are made more vulnerable due to social positioning, the queer community’s unique nature and history makes us able to deal with these events like no one else. Even though we shouldn’t have to.

Queerness as prior contextual vulnerability

• Gay community, like other marginalised groups, are in social and economic circumstances that magnify the negative effects of natural disasters.
  • Queer people tend to reside in diasaster-prone areas with limited investment in services. This hinders disaster preparedness, including insurance and safety equipment access.
  • More likely to be homeless, especially amongst youth rejected from families.
  • Incarceration rates are three times higher than the general population. This raises issues:
    • Dependence on prison guards and public officials for safety.
    • Increased health risks.
      • Spread of diseases.
      • Susceptibility to heat-related illnesses due to inadequate cooling.
    • Limited access to PPE.
    • Delayed evacuation decisions.
  • Tend to be less physically and mentally well [due to systemic discrimination].
  • Healthcare
    • Reduced access to healthcare and insurance, in general; discrimination within the medical system.
    • Stress from prejudice.
    • Stress from poverty.
    • Those with HIV at greater risk of other infections.
• Where queer identity overlaps with other marginalised identities, the effects are multiplied.
  • “Indeed, Rice et al. (2022) use the term ‘climate apartheid’ to conceptualise the uneven impact from climate change, which natural disasters have been and will continue to be a recurrent component of (Kilpatrick et al., 2023).”
  • “Climate apartheid is defined as a “co-produced system of privilege and precarity—a system that, while possessing some unique features, is built upon historical legacies of colonisation, racial capitalism, and hetero-patriarchy” (Rice et al., 2022, p.626).”
• If social and economic disparities were addressed, “queer people would not be as especially vulnerable to disaster events in comparison to the general population.”

Queerness as vulnerability per calamitatem

• Closeting and discrimination can occur in disaster contexts.
  • Feel the need to conceal identity under challenging circumstances.
  • Have to disclose to individuals and/or organisations to access appropriate support, triggering anxiety around discrimination and judgement.
  • Have to go back to live with bigoted families, re-closeting themselves.
  • Faith-based orgs are known to discriminate against queer people, and they often play a frontline role in emergency management. They discourage queer people from seeking assistance from them.
• The definition of “family” tends to include heterosexual couples with children, so same-sex couples might be separated or relocated to different cities, with no visitation rights or access to updates on their families.
• “There have been instances where members of the queer community faced physical, verbal, and sexual abuse within these shelters.”
  • Transwoman verbally abused by a shelter volunteer in Japan.
  • Trans people felt unsafe using shower facilities.
  • Gay and bi men were coerced into sex to access food or money.
  • “Corrective” rape of lesbian and bi women.
  • Nonbinary people excluded from sex-segregated shelters.
• Trans people
  • HRT access; stockpiling not feasible in emergency housing, if you can even get ahold of the HRT.
  • Loss of gender-affirming clothing, cosmetics, and other products to facilitate gender expression.
  • Loss of support structures.
• “…limitations in disaster response systems that are created by the existing biases and prejudices that exist in society.”
  • Prejudice and discrimination may seem inconsequential in the face of mass loss of life.
    • […But they impact the people we’re ostensibly trying to save.]
  • “Some of these are the work of misguided individuals, but others are systemic, with a failure from certain bodies to recognise that diversity exists, even in the face of tragedy. This unfortunate reality underscores the urgent need for society to confront and dismantle these unfounded biases, reminding us that the darkness of natural disasters should never overshadow the importance of empathy and compassionate treatment for all.”
    • [“diversity exists, even in the face of tragedy.” is such a powerful line.]

Queerness excluded from disaster recovery

• Natural disaster recovery “often prioritise heterosexual, nuclear families.”
  • Queer community may face lasting impacts as a result.
  • Hurricane Katrina rebuild prioritised “prioritised heteronormative spaces and tourist neighbourhoods in New Orleans that capitalised on queer culture”. Meanwhile, the neighbourhoods where queer people actually lived in were neglected.
  • Loss of a home represents loss of a barrier between safety and marginalisation.
  • Neighbourhoods are sites of creation and preservation for queer identities. Losing them means losing memory.
• Disaster events affect mental health, in a community that already has worse mental health outcomes.
  • “They already experience higher levels of suicide, suicidal ideation, anxiety, and depression compared to the general population.”
  • “A multi-year study conducted after the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfires in Canada revealed elevated levels of mental health distress among trans and gender-non-conforming youths compared to comparable cohorts.”
• The experiences of queer people in recovery can be marginalised or erased.
  • Mainstream media favours reporting on those with heteronormative family structures.
  • Queer-specific media often moves quickly past disasters, limiting discussions or critique of disaster responses.
  • “In some cases, queer people may face irrational vilification, with moral judgments against gay people becoming more negative immediately following disasters, particularly among religious males.”
• “Addressing these biases … is vital to achieving equitable and inclusive disaster recovery that recognises and supports all individuals.”

Queer resilience to disaster events

• “Queer resilience is the unique ability of queer people to thrive in the face of adversity, developed through experiences of oppression and discrimination in order to survive and thrive in a world that is hostile to them.”
  • We do this through
    • Social bonds
    • Community organising
    • Sense- and meaning-making activities
  • Queer people should be tapped to bring our positive contributions as a force for recovery, and not just consigned to victim status.
  • We have a record of recreating disaster-related services “in a grassroots and affirming way” due to years of marginalisation and discrimination.
    • Supporting each other through friendship circles, networks, or organisations (Gorman-Murray et al., 2017)
    • Collecting relief goods for the community (Dominey-Howes et al., 2014)
    • Donating to and providing accommodation to other queer people who were unable or unwilling to to access relief shelters (Gorman-Murray et al., 2018)
    • Volunteering clean up services
    • Personal grooming assistance (Dominey-Howes et al., 2014)
      • [Would do a lot for people with dysphoria, in particular.]
• Resilience narratives can be harmful.
  • Oversimplifying experiences and challenges.
  • Dismiss the urgent need for targeted support and resources tailored specifically for queers.
  • Psychology emphasises salvation through individual action and discourages political action.
  • “…current discourse on queer resilience is limited as “there is, in most conceptualizations of resilience, a limited sense of growth with an emphasis on overcoming or getting back up.””
  • “Barrita and Wong-Padoongpatt (2021, p.604) emphasise the “burden of being resilient” and argue research which romanticises resilience ultimately places the burden of change on the queer community and hides oppressive systems.”
    • “Instead, they argue, “queer people’s acts of resistance must be amplified to challenge the systems that marginalised them”.”
  • We need to highlight the systemic inequalities and discrimination that queer people face during disaster situations.
    • Create inclusive policies and interventions that address queer-specific needs and promote equity and support.

My Thoughts

“Diversity exists, even in the face of tragedy” is going to stick with me as a powerful answer to people who insist tailored responses for marginalised communities isn’t important. While this paper is looking specifically at the queer community, elements of it, such as that line, can be lifted and applied to other groups as well. It is critical that disaster response has tailored support for a range of different people to be most effective.

I enjoyed the way the paper highlighted the strengths of the queer community, and how good we are at coming together when the State fails us.

I appreciated the discussion of the burden of being resilient, and how this narrative is used to shield oppressive systems from change. I think it is important to be resilient, but there’s only so much individuals can do. Resilient individuals cannot fix repressive systems. In a similar vein, the final section, about the harm of resilience narratives, was also interesting.