Understanding Monkeypox from a Queer Ecology Perspective
In a world where climate change is worsening over half of the known infectious diseases, and zoonotic viruses like monkeypox continue to pose a significant threat, a new perspective is needed to address these complex challenges. This perspective comes from the intersection of queer ecology and public health, offering a unique approach to understanding and mitigating the risks of zoonotic diseases.
LGBTQIA+ people have long faced discrimination in healthcare settings, with refusals of service and assaults being all too common. This discrimination discourages many from seeking the care they need, making them more vulnerable to diseases like monkeypox. The HIV/AIDs crisis, exacerbated by a highly homophobic social context, serves as a stark reminder of this reality.
Recent events have highlighted the continued social bias against queer people. Last week, a gay couple in Washington, D.C., was violently attacked and called a monkeypox slur. This incident underscores the importance of viewing issues like climate change and zoonotic diseases through a queer ecological lens.
Queer ecology, rooted in queer ecofeminism, critiques the dominant logic of power, control, and categorization that oppresses marginalized communities and simultaneously drives environmental destruction, increasing zoonotic disease risks. By destabilizing rigid boundaries such as human vs. nonhuman, natural vs. unnatural, or normative vs. non-normative, queer ecological imagination encourages more fluid, interconnected perspectives on multispecies relationships and symbioses.
This relational understanding promotes empathy, mutualism, and respect rather than commodification or domination of ecosystems, potentially reducing pathogen spillover risks caused by environmental degradation and uneven human-animal interactions.
In practical terms, queer ecological imagination can:
- Highlight how anthropocentric and binary ways of categorizing nature contribute to ecosystem disruptions that facilitate zoonotic outbreaks.
- Foster innovative, intersectional policies that recognize vulnerable human populations alongside more-than-human communities in environmental and public health planning.
- Encourage inclusive, empathetic environmental ethics that see humans as part of a web of life, supporting restoration of balanced symbiotic relationships crucial for pandemic prevention.
As of the writing, there are over 13,000 cases of monkeypox in the U.S., and about 95% of those cases are men who have sex with other men. Access to vaccines for monkeypox is still abysmal. Queer ecology, which objects to heterosexist notions of biology and sexuality, holds answers to monkeypox.
By embracing a queer ecological imagination, we can begin to address the root causes of zoonotic diseases like monkeypox and work towards a more equitable and sustainable future for all.
[1] Source for the scientific research on queer ecology and its application to public health can be found in various academic journals, such as the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences and Society & Natural Resources. [3] Additional resources on the intersections of queer ecology, public health, and environmental justice can be found in books like "Queer Ecologies: Sex, Nature, Politics, and Affect" by Catriona Sandilands and Bruce Erickson.
- The intersection of queer ecology and public health offers a unique approach to understanding and mitigating the risks of zoonotic diseases, such as monkeypox, which currently has over 13,000 cases in the U.S.
- Queer ecology, rooted in queer ecofeminism, critiques the dominant logic that drives environmental destruction and increases zoonotic disease risks, and encourages a relational understanding of multispecies relationships and symbioses.
- Recent events have highlighted the social bias against queer people, underscoring the importance of viewing issues like climate change and zoonotic diseases through a queer ecological lens.
- Access to vaccines for monkeypox is still abysmal, and the HIV/AIDs crisis serves as a stark reminder of the discrimination LGBTQIA+ people face in healthcare settings.
- By embracing a queer ecological imagination, we can begin to address the root causes of zoonotic diseases, foster innovative policies, and work towards a more equitable and sustainable future for all.
- The benefits of a queer ecological approach can be seen in various academic journals like the Journal of Environmental Studies and Sciences and Society & Natural Resources, as well as books such as "Queer Ecologies: Sex, Nature, Politics, and Affect" by Catriona Sandilands and Bruce Erickson.
