INTERSECTIONAL CLIMATE JUSTICE: EXAMINING THE EXPERIENCES OF LGBTQIA+ PEOPLE OF COLOR IN THE MID ATLANTIC
Date
2025-04
Authors
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Publisher
University of Delaware
Abstract
Disasters worsen existing inequalities and disproportionately impact
marginalized communities; thus, studies of vulnerability often assess these impacts
according to social identities such as race, ethnicity, gender, class, and ability.
Scholars are increasingly using the lens of intersectionality to examine differentiated
vulnerability across multiple social identities, yet little empirical work has been done
to understand the experiences and perceptions of climate-related disasters of
LGBTQIA+ people of color. LGBTQIA+ communities are disproportionately
vulnerable to extreme weather and disasters in part due to high rates of homelessness
and bias in planning and response. Furthermore, LQBTQIA+ people of color,
especially Black transgender and gender non-conforming individuals, face a
heightened level of discrimination and violence. Considering this, we conducted a set
of semi-structured interviews with those who identify as or work with LGBTQIA+
people of color, or those in the environmental justice, city planning, or government
sectors in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. in order to understand the experiences
and perceptions of LGBTQIA+ people of color extreme weather events or disasters.
By closing this research gap, we show how the lens of intersectionality can be used to
foster a more inclusive climate justice movement.