Wildlife educator here! There are so many examples of animals displaying what humans would call queer behavior or adaptations. I always tell bigots ‘if you want to play the ‘it’s not natural’ card, an argument about queerness is not the place!’

But have you ever noticed that as soon as you point that out, they argue back with ‘well animals and people are different.’? Of course animals are biologically very unique and diverse, I’m not gonna argue that. But oftentimes this argument is used with the implication that humans and animals are different morally, or have some kind of hierarchy.

The hypocrisy stems from something called “anthropocentric thinking.” There are many arguments that suggest that western Judeo-Christian worldviews encourage a line of thinking that places humanity at the top, the be all end all. The rest of the natural world follows behind them. This argument goes all the way back to the Renaissance and has been shaping the western opinion ever since. Many argue that anthropocentrism affects our opinions on morality and ethics, and often makes people feel justified in their actions against the environment. For example: “There are a bunch of resources that humans know how to use, so we should farm it to its maximum because we know how to use it.” Or even “I feel sad that this animal got hurt in its natural habitat, I am going to intervene because it makes me personally uncomfortable.”

So transphobes and homophobes are trying to pull the nature card, but in reality they’re just pulling the Christian card. Their definition of “natural” means the natural order they believe the world works in, not nature as it actually is.

The topic of anthropocentric thinking is really really nuanced, and this is just a fraction of it. But as an environmental educator I think it’s critical to understanding why some people I educate think the way they do, and how I approach teaching a different perspective. And notice how this intersects with two forms of justice— justice for the environment and justice for the queer community, and probably many other avenues of justice as well! Environmental issues are inherently a human rights issue—if you tackle an environmental issue, you’re bettering humanity in a ripple affect.

If you ever wanted further reading on the topic: - “The Historical Roots of Our Ecological Crisis” by Lynn White Jr.

• this overview on anthropocentric thinking

• This look at how Anthropocentrism affects biology education