Whose Better? - (re)Orientating a Queer Ecopedagogy

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Muffet

Previous invitations to queer environmental education research and practice have fallen largely silent. This paper addresses that silence by orientating ecopedagogy toward a phenomenology of queer experience. Drawing on the utopian promises of the “It Gets Better Project” and ecopedagogy, it argues that queer phenomenology can provide new insights. The hope lies in including diverse beings and valuing (dis)orientating experiences that can support more egalitarian and democratic futures.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages16

Reading Time40 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Queer ecopedagogy and queer phenomenology

Silence in queer environmental education

Orientating toward queer experience

The “It Gets Better Project” and LGBTQ youth

Message of hope and support

Pedagogical implications

Orientating pedagogy as responsibility

How education invites or silences narratives

Whose Better? (re)Orientating a Queer Ecopedagogy Joshua Russell, York University, Canada Abstract Previous invitations to queer environmental education research and practice have fallen largely silent. This paper seeks to address that silence by orientating ecopedagogy toward a phenomenology of queer experience. Inspired by the utopian promises of the “It Gets Better Project” and ecopedagogy generally, the author suggests that queer phenomenology can offer new insights into ecopedagogy. The hope of a queer ecopedagogy lies in its inclusion of diverse beings and its celebration of (dis)orientating experiences that might lead to more egalitarian and democratic futures. Résumé Les invitations à la recherche et à la pratique en éducation environnementale homosexuelle ont cessé en grande partie. Le présent article aborde le vide ainsi créé en orientant l’écopédagogie vers une phénoménologie de l’expérience homosexuelle. Inspiré par les promesses utopiques du projet « It Gets Better » et par l’écopédagogie en général, l’auteur affirme que la phénoménologie homosexuelle peut donner lieu à des éclaircissements sur l’écopédagogie. L’espoir de créer une écopédagogie homosexuelle repose dans sa manière d’inclure des êtres différentset d’engendrer des expériences d’orientation (voire de désorientation) pouvant mener à un avenir plus égalitaire et démocratique. Keywords: ecopedagogy, queer phenomenology, experience “Just hold your head up and you’ll go far. Just love yourself and you’ll be set… and I promise you it will get better.” Jamey Rodemeyer, ‘It Gets Better, I Promise!’ As I watch Jamey Rodemeyer’s YouTube video, entitled “It Gets Better, I Promise!”I am struck by the poise, certainty, and most of all hope that the young man shares with his faceless, nameless online audience. In the video, Jamey speaks about his trouble with bullies and the dark thoughts that move in and out of his life. In the end, however, he finds support and love from many unexpected places—he talks in particular about pop star Lady Gaga as an inspiration—and describes feeling “liberated” from his struggles and free to be himself. Jamey’s message is clear: learning to love yourself is the key to overcoming obstacles and finding a community who can and will love you back. He posted his video in May 2011, after coming out as bisexual to some of his closest friends. In September of that year, Jamey committed suicide at the age of 14. Canadian Journal of Environmental Education, 18, 2013 11 These kinds of events are all-too commonplace within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer (LGBTQ) community. Canada’s Centre for Suicide Prevention reports that LGBTQ youth are 1.5 to 3 times more likely to report suicidal ideation and 1.5 to 7 times more likely to report having attempted suicide than their non-LGBTQ peers (2012) . While this problem is not new, a string of suicides in 2010-2011, including Jamey’s, brought new focus within the North American media on these statistics. Dan Savage, an openly gay columnist and gay-rights activist, responded by starting the “It Gets Better Project” with his partner Terry Miller. The project involves a series of online testimonials and video blog posts shared by celebrities, politicians, organizations, and “average”citizens declaring support for the struggles that face LGBTQ youth. The core message of each story is that no matter how difficult life is currently—in the face of bullies, intimidation, violence, and conservative politics denouncing queer rights—things will get better. The testimonials are often very personal, describing the teller’s own experience with these issues during their teenage years; but others, both within and outside of the LGBTQ community, simply offer support. Most of the stories end by referring those watching to seek the aid of organizations that specialize in counseling LGBTQ youth, such as the Trevor Project, or to offer financial support for such projects. As a gay

FAQs

What issue does the paper aim to address in queer environmental education research and practice?

It targets the widespread silence around queer environmental education research and practice, reframing ecopedagogy through a queer phenomenology of experience.

How does the “It Gets Better Project” relate to the paper’s argument about ecopedagogy?

The project’s utopian promise of improvement is used as an inspiration and case for how hope and better futures can be critically reflected within ecopedagogical thinking.

What is the hoped-for outcome of a queer ecopedagogy?

A queer ecopedagogy is hoped to include diverse beings and to celebrate (dis)orientating experiences, enabling more egalitarian and democratic futures.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Muffet