Queer Quaker Responses to Climate Change

In this episode of Quakers Today, co-hosts Peterson Toscano (he/him) and Miche McCall (they/them) explore how queer Quakers respond to climate change with joy, creativity, and radical inclusion. The episode features Damon Motz-Storey and Lina Blount, who delve into the intersection of queerness, spirituality, and climate activism. Miche and Peterson also review two books that provide fresh perspectives on environmentalism and queer ecology.

Featured Segments:

Queer Quaker Responses to Climate Change with Damon Motz-Storey and Lina Blount

Damon Motz-Storey (they/them), a genderqueer Quaker, discusses the importance of radical joy, play, and community in climate work: “We’re going to save the earth, and we’re going to do it in six-inch heels and full makeup.”

Damon Motz-Storey became the Chapter Director of the Oregon Chapter of the Sierra Club in 2023. They have a wealth of experience leading environmental and climate justice campaigns in the Pacific Northwest. Their achievements include blocking major new coal, oil, and gas expansions, pioneering the Portland Clean Energy Fund initiative, and contributing to Oregon's 2021 state legislation for low-income utility bill discounts, home energy retrofits, and a commitment to 100% clean electricity by 2040. Damon also worked with the Coalition of Communities of Color, managing communications for Portland's successful 2022 city government reform measure and organizing record-breaking fundraising events to support racial justice efforts. They live in East Portland near Powell Butte and enjoys hiking, cycling, weightlifting, cooking, and performing in drag.

Lina Blount highlights the role of interconnectedness and reciprocity in climate justice: “Our liberation is bound up in each other's, especially in climate work, because it’s how ecosystems work.”

Lina Blount is an organizer, trainer, and nonviolent action strategist who has been involved in environmental justice campaigns in the Philadelphia area for over fifteen years. She currently serves as the Director of Strategy and Partnerships with the Earth Quaker Action Team. Lina has previously worked with the Divestment Student Network and has extensive experience as a canvas director and anti-fracking organizer in Pennsylvania. She identifies as a Quaker and considers the Earth Quaker Action Team, her primary spiritual community.

Book Review: Queer Ecologies and Sustainable Futures Books Reviewed:

• Deviant Hollers: Queering Appalachian Ecologies for a Sustainable Future Peterson and Miche review this collection of essays edited by Zane McNeil and Rebecca Scott, which critiques environmental exploitation and maps alternative futures through queer perspectives.
• Smarter Planet or Wiser Earth? by Gray Cox Miche introduces this book, published by the Quaker Institute for the Future, which examines the ethical implications of smart technology and its role in building a sustainable global community. Read Brad Gibson's Friends Journal review.

Quotes:

• "It is our superpower to insist upon joy, even in a world insistent on pushing us back into the closet." – Damon Motz-Storey
• "Chosen family and ecosystems both offer models of connection

Episode Transcript

Miche McCall (00:00):
In this episode of Quakers today, we ask, "What are
queer Quaker responses toclimate change?" In a world that
is dangerously changing, what doQuakers who identify as lesbian,
gay, bisexual, transgender,gender, non-binary and queer
bring to the table?

Unknown (00:18):
What fresh approaches and perspectives do LGBTQ plus
Quakers have to offer theclimate movement?

Miche McCall (00:26):
And what vital roles do drag performances and
other art forms play as wecommunicate and build community?

Peterson Toscano (00:33):
We feature two queer Quakers concerned about
climate change. That's amouthful. I am Peterson Toscano

Miche McCall (00:41):
And I Miche McCall.

Peterson Toscano (00:43):
This is season three, episode six of the
Quakers Today, podcast, aproject of Friends pPublishing
Corporation.

Miche McCall (00:50):
This season of Quakers today is sponsored by
the American Friends ServiceCommittee.
There are many ways to approachhuge, multifaceted and serious
issues like climate change.

Peterson Toscano (01:04):
When people show up with their whole selves,
they bring diverse experiences,insights, and perspectives vital
for holistic, practical and justresponses to a crisis.

Miche McCall (01:16):
There's value in looking through multiple lenses
of race, class, ability,nationality and more. Peterson
and I come to climate change asqueer Quakers.

Peterson Toscano (01:28):
I am an older, cisgender, white gay man who
volunteers with the Red Crossand Citizens Climate Lobby.
Since 2014 I have spoken outabout climate related issues
through podcasts, short films,workshops and performances.

Miche McCall (01:46):
And I'm a Gen Z, white, queer person who works at
Quaker Earthcare Witness. I'vespent the summer doing
non-violent direct actionoutside of Citibank, sometimes
dressed as an orca or ChappellRoan to demand that Wall Street
stop financing fossil fuels.

Peterson Toscano (02:02):
I think it's fair to say Miche that we are
both obsessed with and curiousabout climate change, definitely

Miche McCall (02:06):
And Peterson, we are not the only ones.

Damon Motz-Storey (02:13):
There's a few different identities that matter
a lot to me. One of them isbeing a queer human and a gender
queer, non-binary person.Gender, being, you know, a lot
more complicated than just whatwas assigned to me at birth.
Being born and raised Quaker isa big part of my identity, and
comes up quite a lot in work andprofessional settings. There are
a lot of times when that calm,steady listening presence that

(02:35):
Quakerism really emphasizeshelps a lot in the nonprofit
world and helps me to be a good,active listener in reaching
consensus with groups of people.

Peterson Toscano (02:45):
That's Damon Motz-Storey. Damon uses
they,/them pronouns, their queerQuaker approaches to climate
change are grounded in justice,love and play.

Damon Motz-Storey (02:57):
A queer Quaker response to climate
change is a response that isrealistic and grounded and knows
that the world that we have beengiven is a deeply unfair one,
and yet we can't control that.We cannot control what has
happened. I think there's a sortof a radical acceptance over the

(03:18):
fact that we are in this momenthere together, and all we have
are each other, and that's ourgreatest gift, our greatest
strength. To me the Quaker, partof that response honors and
uplifts every single person thatunderstands that every person
has something valuable andbeautiful to contribute, not

(03:38):
just to the world and to, youknow, just the way that we
interact with each other, butalso to the solution to climate
change and the most terrifyingparts of it, we each have one
piece of the key, and togetherwe can put that key together.
And the queer part of it helpsto ground myself in knowing that
those solutions may come fromunexpected places. Another huge

(04:01):
part of it is just joy andexuberance silliness,
understanding that we can laughin a very scary, harsh time, and
that actually we should laugh,because that is how we actually
are going to keep going, thatpowers us, that fuels us. It is
our superpower to be able to bejoyful and to insist upon

(04:23):
pleasure, even in a world thatis so insistent upon pushing us
back into the closet or out ofsight. And we can instead stand
up and say, No, we're going tosave the Earth, and we're going
to do it in six inch heels andfull makeup. It's going to be
fun, and we can do it.

Miche McCall (04:43):
Lina Blount is the Director of Strategy and
partnerships with the EarthQuaker Action Team, or EQAT

Lina Blount (04:50):
I am queer, polyamorous. I have dated people
all along the gender spectrum. Imyself am a cis woman. I use
she/her pronouns. I have arebellion against just some of
the labels in general
What is a queer Quaker responseto climate change? For me, it's
deeply about interconnectedness,listening deeply to that of God

(05:16):
in ourselves, and being deeplycurious about that of God in
others, trusting others to be ontheir own path of discernment. I
need everyone around me to besafe, to thrive and be myself,
to create actions that transformthese companies and these

(05:40):
systems that are destroying theplanet. It's a loving life,
giving creative process thatfundamentally is about profound
love, a sense of mutuality andreciprocity that is so beyond

(06:04):
transaction. It just doesn'tresemble transactional
relationships, extractiverelationships, quote, unquote,
like traditional relationships.

Peterson Toscano (06:16):
Both Lina and Damon told us how their
identities as queer Quakersshape their responses to climate
change, let's break down some ofthe themes that emerged from
their answers.

Miche McCall (06:28):
One of the most striking themes from both Lina
and Damon is the emphasis oninterconnectedness and the value
of community. Lina talks abouthow climate justice work is
deeply rooted in recognizing theinterconnectedness of all beings
and ecosystems.

Lina Blount (06:45):
Queer folks have helped me think of
interconnection and relationshipin those ways, like both
reciprocity and responsibility.Our you know, liberation is
bound up in each other's, and Ithink that's really powerful,
especially in climate work,because it's how ecosystems
work. Ecosystems don't work justlocally. You know, there's these

(07:09):
incredible webs ofinterconnection. Ecosystems
provide us so many models forlike, the variety of connection
that can be life giving andgenerative. That metaphor feels
really apt for like queercommunity and chosen family. For
me, yeah, yeah, chosen familybecomes this necessity when the

(07:33):
family that you maybe were borninto isn't accepting, isn't
affirming, and so chosen familyis about finding affirmation,
finding folks who can see andlove you for all that you are
deeper and broader.Interconnection is definitely
something I feel like I'velearned through queer community,

(07:55):
and feels really important inhow I approach climate justice
organizing,

Unknown (08:03):
Damon explains how being genderqueer and non binary
has shaped their understandingof complexity within the climate
movement.

Damon Motz-Storey (08:10):
Being non-binary myself and
understanding that gender is alot more complicated than an
either or predisposes me tounderstand that there's all
kinds of things in the climateworld that are not just one
thing. Let's look at busses,public infrastructure, public
transits. We've had this aroundfor so long. It doesn't seem

(08:32):
like it would be an incredibleclimate solution, but it
absolutely is. We already havethe technology to get people
where they need to go to workand to school and the doctor's
appointments withoutcontributing to the climate
crisis, without polluting on abig, major scale. If the bus is
running well and reliably, itdoes all kinds of other amazing
things for society. It is one ofthe fastest routes out of

(08:55):
poverty if you're able to get toyour job affordably and quickly.

Miche McCall (09:00):
Lina and Damon emphasize the creativity and
love central to their climatework. For Lena, it's about a
loving lifegiving process thatdrives her to transform harmful
systems into ones that nurturelife.

Lina Blount (09:16):
Trying to find solutions or alternatives to
harmful systems is a deeplycreative thing, and requires
trial and error and requireskind of sense of agency and
co-responsibility for creation.So that's a thing that feels
really related to how queercommunity approaches

(09:40):
relationships, how queer eldershave taught me about how they've
been accountable to each other,the types of structures they've
created.

Peterson Toscano (09:49):
Damon brings a sense of joy and playfulness
into their response. They remindus that we can still find power
and joy and exuberance in theface of terrifying realities.

Miche McCall (10:01):
Damon uses drag performance as a way to process
big feelings about climatechange and connect with people
on a whole different level.

Damon Motz-Storey (10:10):
Desdemona Lisa, I like to say that she's
she's a work of art and a pieceof work. One of my first drag
performances as Desdemona Lisa,I took a ziploc gallon bag, and
I filled it with ice. I balancedit just so in between the dress
I was wearing and kind of on topof the back of my hips, so that
I could have a performancemoment where the ice literally

(10:32):
calved off of my ass, in orderto symbolize the melting of the
glaciers and the calving ofpolar ice caps. It got some big
laughs out of the audience.
It's not me making fun of women,right? That's that's very
important for me to clarify. Iffolks are not familiar with
drag.
I can't stop thinking about someof this stuff sometimes. And so

(10:56):
there's ways in which making adrag performance out of some of
my climate anxiety or bigfeelings about climate is a way
to sort of like work through andprocess some of those emotions,
and it's a way to actually talkabout those feelings in a way
that is perhaps a little bitdifferent and a little bit more
of an entry point for somefolks.

Peterson Toscano (11:19):
Beyond joy and creativity Lina and Damon
recognize the importance ofinclusivity and honoring diverse
perspectives.

Damon Motz-Storey (11:29):
Climate change becomes an existential
threat to some and aninconvenience to others. In
Oregon, roughly 40% of allhomeless youth identify as
LGBTQ, we should not besurprised as to the reasons why
there you have a hugedemographic of folks that have
very few options to shelter whenthere's extreme weather, when

(11:51):
there's a heat wave, whenthere's an ice storm, these can
be life or death moments forpeople living outside and on the
streets.

Unknown (11:57):
Lena trusts others to be on their own path of
discernment, believing thateveryone has a role in creating
actions that transform theworld.

Lina Blount (12:07):
But yeah, I mean, my Quaker faith calls me to sit
and grapple with what is mine todo. What does spirit call me to
do? What of God in me needs tobe of service in the world? I
think it transforms how we acttogether.

Miche McCall (12:25):
Together Lina and Damon paint a picture of a queer
Quaker response to climatechange that is grounded in love,
creativity, community and joy.It's a response that challenges
us to embraceinterconnectedness, find
strength in our relationshipsand transform the world with our
unique gifts that each personbrings.

Unknown (12:48):
And as we've heard, it's a response that's as much
about committed action as it isabout celebrating who we are,
full makeup and all

Miche McCall (12:57):
absolutely Peterson, this blend of deep
love, radical acceptance, andjoyful defiance is what makes
their queer Quaker responses toclimate change so powerful and
so necessary.

Unknown (13:11):
This has been a very, very rich question for me to
consider. It's a query I'veactually considered for the past
10 years, "What is a queerresponse to climate change?"
Going into a crisis like climatechange with a query can be
really useful in getting deeperunderstanding and discernment.
And for me, you know, beingqueer and being Quaker, these

(13:33):
are two big parts of myidentity, but I think it extends
to all kinds of identities, ifyou're Catholic, if you're a
person with a particulardisability, if you have a child
that's on the spectrum, all ofthese different perspectives are
essential to tease out and toexplore and to investigate. How

(13:55):
does climate change interactwith those and what do we bring
that specific to help inpursuing solutions?

Miche McCall (14:02):
That's great. We must recognize, though, that
this is the beginning of a muchlarger conversation with more
diverse voices. Here are someresources for you.

Unknown (14:13):
Yeah, a few years back, I produced an episode for
Citizens Climate radio. It'scalled, What are LGBTQ plus
responses to climate change. Init, I feature two Americans, the
queer researcher Leo Goldsmith,along with Isaias Hernandez, who
is better known as queer brownvegan. And I also spoke with the

(14:35):
queer South African economistnoquanda Maseko. They discuss
the unique challenges andcontributions of LGBTQ plus
people in the face of climatechange.

Miche McCall (14:48):
The UCLA School of laws Williams Institute
published the report climatechange risk for LGBT people in
the United States. It offers adetailed analysis of how. While
climate changedisproportionately affects the
LGBTQ plus community.

Peterson Toscano (15:05):
And definitely check out, can't stop change
queer climate stories from theFlorida front lines. It's a
documentary by queers forclimate justice. This film
highlights the disparities facedby queer communities and the
work being done to counteractthem.

Miche McCall (15:21):
Find links to these resources and
[e-mail] Before wewrap up today's episode,
Peterson and I want to share acouple of books that tie into
our discussion on queer Quakerresponses to climate change,

Peterson Toscano (15:37):
I've been reading a powerful new
collection called DeviantHollers, Queering Appalachian
Ecologies for a SustainableFuture. Zane McNeill and Rebecca
Scott edited it. This bookbrings together essays from
queer thinkers and activists whoare exploring the environmental
destruction through the lens ofqueer ecologies. It's not just

(16:01):
about critiquing theexploitation of the land in the
United States. It's aboutmapping out alternative futures
that embrace critical queerperspectives.

Miche McCall (16:11):
Deviant Hollers connects with what we've been
discussing today, howmarginalized voices,
particularly queer voices, canoffer new possibilities for a
sustainable future. The book'sfocus on queer critiques and the
status of Appalachia as asettler colony provides a much
needed perspective that is oftenoverlooked in mainstream

(16:32):
environmentalism.

Peterson Toscano (16:33):
Exactly Miche. It's a collection that critiques
and imagines new ways of livingand interacting with the
environment, which is absolutelyvital as we think about
sustainable futures.

Miche McCall (16:44):
Yeah, I want to tell you about Smarter Planet,
or Wiser Earth by Gray Cox. Itis published by the Quaker
Institute for the Future.

Unknown (16:53):
Wait, there's a Quaker Institute for the Future. Oh my
gosh, that's amazing.

Miche McCall (16:59):
Yeah, they publish a lot of books, and it's kind of
part of our thinking about thispodcast, of making sure that
Quakers are thinking about andadapting to new technologies.
It's awesome. This book couldn'tbe more relevant. Cox tackles
the complex relationship betweentechnology, particularly
artificial intelligence, and theneed for a more just and

(17:22):
sustainable global community. Heargues that while smart
technology is often used tomaximize profit and power, we
should instead aim for a wiserapproach, one that incorporates
ethical considerations,collaborative dialog and diverse
perspectives.

Unknown (17:39):
Yeah, that that definitely resonates with the
Quaker testimonies of communityand stewardship.

Miche McCall (17:44):
Absolutely and Cox makes a compelling case for
moving away from monologicalreasoning. This is when one
perspective dominates. Instead,Cox advocates for the Rainbow
Rule, "Do unto others as theywould have you do unto them."
It's about understanding andincorporating the needs and
perspectives of others. Thisties back to what we've been

(18:06):
thinking about in terms ofinclusivity and
interconnectedness in the queerQuaker response to climate
change. We have links to thesebooks and more in our show notes
at quakerstoday.org

Unknown (18:19):
Thank you for joining us for this different episode of
Quakers today. Quakers today iswritten and produced by me
Peterson Toscano,

Miche McCall (18:32):
and me Miche McCall. Music On today's show
comes from Epidemic Sound.

Lina Blount (18:38):
We want to take this moment to give a big thank
you to the American FriendsService Committee. They have
been our sponsors for seasonthree of Quakers Today, oh and
season two. Thank you so much!

Miche McCall (18:51):
Do you want to challenge unjust systems and
promote lasting peace? TheAmerican Friends Service
Committee, or AFSC works withcommunities worldwide to drive
social change. Their websitefeatures meaningful steps you
can take to make a difference.

Lina Blount (19:12):
Through their Friends Liaison Program, you can
connect your meeting or churchwith AFSC and their justice
campaigns. Find out how you canbecome part of AFSC global
community of change makers.Visit afsc.org.

Miche McCall (19:36):
Visit quakerstoday.org to see our show
notes on a full transcript ofthis episode. And if you stick
around after the closing, you'llhear listeners responses to the
questions, "What are Quaker andqueer Quaker responses to
climate change? Plus, we have animportant update about season
four. k

Lina Blount (19:53):
Thank you, friend. We look forward to spending more
time with you soon.