India, 2004: A tsunami hits the coasts of India, Indonesia, Thailand, and Sri Lanka on December 26. 230.000 people die and 1,7 million are left homeless. Aravanis [1] lose dance costumes, makeup, and tools they need for survival. They are denied access to temporary shelters and are not included in death statistics. As a result, they are excluded from many emergency aid and reconstruction programs, making it difficult for them to return to a life of dignity..
Even after Hurricane Katrina in the USA in 2005, trans* women were excluded from emergency shelters: Two trans* women of color are arrestedafter using sanitary facilities according to their gender.
In a painful way, this shows that not all lives are considered equally worth living and that LGBTQIA* people are often structurally excluded when it comes to dealing with the climate crisis.
Both globally and the floods in the Ahr Valley in 2021 have shown: We are in the midst of a climate crisis. According to scientific forecasts, such extreme events are becoming increasingly frequent. And they are exacerbating existing inequalities. Countries like Germany, the US, and Great Britain have historically contributed the most to the climate crisis. However, it is other countries like China, India, Bangladesh, and Ethiopia where people are most affected by the climate crisis: Be it through floods, droughts or extreme temperaturesResistance is growing against this. People around the world are campaigning for climate justice. They are drawing attention to the fact that the climate crisis is exacerbating global inequalities and hitting marginalized people harder – depending on where they live, their financial resources, whether they are racially discriminated against, their gender, and their sexual orientation. This is unfair. Fighting for climate justice therefore means fighting for a redistribution of resources that cushion the effects of environmental destruction. It means specifically advocating for debt relief for countries in the Global South and reparations for the climate catastrophe caused by the Global North. At the same time, curbing global warming is the primary goal.
Similar to the COVID pandemic, a pattern is emerging: the climate crisis and its impacts are amplifying marginalization: Those who already experience structural violence and discrimination in a society are hit even harder by heatwaves, droughts, and floods. This is particularly evident in the LGBTQIA* community's response to such extreme weather events. But queer and trans* people are organizing to make it clear that their liberation is linked to the fight against the climate crisis:
In Indonesia, for example, some trans* women founded the project “Sanggar Teater Seroja”to raise awareness of the climate crisis. The starting point was the observation that heat waves and rain primarily affect trans women because the trans community spends a lot of time outdoors. One explanation for this is that sex work is one of their main sources of income. In addition to film nights, fashion shows, and discussions with other groups, Sanggar Seroja conducted a survey with 80 trans people in Jakarta. The goal was to determine how the climate crisis affects income, sick leave, and purchasing power. The results were: During the rainy season, income fell by 93%, while 72% of respondents had higher expenses. Rikky, who coordinates the group, said these unpredictable weather events led to "illness, debt, stress, conflict with residents, and higher levels of violence.".
Direct support is also often organized within the trans community itself, as was the case during the 2022 floods in Pakistan. According to Sana Ahmed of the Gender Interactive Alliance (GIA), affected trans people from Sukkur and Larkana contacted the organization directly because they had no access to food or shelter. A member of the trans community then developed an app to raise money and draw more attention to the needs of the trans community.
All this shows: Queer and trans* people are severely affected by the consequences of the climate crisis, and their situation and needs are rarely taken into account by governments. The climate crisis is here and now. If we want to ensure our mutual survival, we must stand up for one another so that everyone understands: There can be no climate justice without queer and trans* liberation!
[1] "Aravani" is the Tamil term for gender-nonconforming individuals whose gender identity and expression are feminine. This often conflicts with a conservative environment and family of origin that expect "masculine" behavior. The term is especially common in South India and Sri Lanka. In North India, the term "hijra" is used.
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