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We’re beginning a small series on Ecoqueer / Queer Ecologies Essentials: short summaries of key ideas and influential works. The aim is to make the main thoughts in this field more accessible and to share the resources that shape our practice at the Quinta.
The first piece is a primer on what Ecoqueer / Queer Ecologies Theory is all about.
More info and further resources: quintaproject.org/ecoqueer-project
Ecoqueer - A Primer
Queer Ecologies and Ecoqueer Theory are used interchangeably. For us, we tend to talk about ecoqueer when we refer to the lived experience, while using ecoqueer theory and/or queer ecologies when talking about the theoretical underpinnings.
Queer Ecology: What is it?
Timothy Morton combines environmental thinking with queer theory (which challenges fixed ideas of gender and sexuality). He says this is urgent because while we cling to an idealised idea of “Nature”, real ecosystems are collapsing.
Key Ideas
1. Nature isn’t what we think
The idea of “pure, untouched Nature” is a fantasy.
This fantasy often excludes people, bodies, or ways of living that don’t fit the norm, just like rigid gender rules do.
2. Old environmental ideas have problems
Some eco theories reject gender or sexual diversity.
They often value masculinity (rugged, tough, anti-feminine).
The “web of life” idea can erase differences by making the whole seem more important than individuals.
3. Everything is connected and intimate
There’s no clean line between “inside” and “outside”.
4. Biology shows life is fluid
Evolution: species boundaries are always shifting.
DNA constantly mixes and changes.
There is no fixed “normal” or “pure” life form.
Life is messy, unpredictable, and “monstrous”.
5. Life is a mesh, not a web
Morton’s “mesh” is a tangled network with no neat divisions between humans, animals, plants, or environments.
It’s vast, open, and sometimes unsettling.
6. Nature is full of sexual and gender diversity
Many species are hermaphroditic or change gender.
Heterosexual reproduction is a late invention in evolution.
Biology shows that gender is about what works, not fixed rules.
7. Humans and nonhumans aren’t separate
All beings are “strange strangers”: unique, interconnected, and never fully knowable.
We share DNA, cells, and deep kinship with other life forms.
8. Against “compulsory Nature”
Environmentalism shouldn’t be about fear of difference or forced ideas of wholeness.
“Nature” shouldn’t mean rigid masculinity, control, or rejection of vulnerability.
Instead: focus on coexistence, intimacy, and openness.
9. Pleasure and connection matter
Queer ecology embraces joy and intimacy with the world.
Even “tree hugging” can be seen as erotic connection.
In Short
Queer ecology says: Life is fluid, diverse, and interconnected. Old ideas of “Nature” are too rigid. By embracing queerness—difference, intimacy, and pleasure—we can create a more inclusive and realistic way to care for the planet.
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