| Description |
The purpose of this study was to explore the unique ways in which humans with diverse sexual orientation and/or gender identity and expression (SOGIE) and strong environmental identities relate to the natural environment. Sixteen people with diverse SOGIEs from various geographic regions within the United States participated. Data were collected from individual semistructured interviews, participant journals, participant photographs of nature, and participant checks. Data collection and analysis were both iterative and inductive and concluded after the data had reached saturation. Participatory techniques such as participant co-analysis and the use of a community investigative focus group (IFG) were utilized to collaboratively interpret the data while honoring lived experiences, personal and community meaning making, and environmental knowledge of humans with diverse SOGIEs. Six themes were derived from the data: (1) Nonjudgment: Nature Is Welcoming; (2) Validation: Nature Is Queer; (3) Exploration: Nature Is Full of Nongendered Possibility; (4) Vulnerability: Nature Also Attracts Humans With Cissexist and Heterosexist Biases; (5) Representation: We Belong in Nature, and (6) Justice: Environmental Issues Are Social Issues. Discussion of these six themes situates them within greater sociocultural context. Implications for cultivating social and ecological justice are presented along with suggestions for ecotherapeutic interventions. |
