#25 - The Impact of Disasters on LGBTQIA+ Communities: A Global Perspective. Part 2 (Leo Goldsmith and Vanessa Raditz)

Summary:

This podcast explored how LGBTQ+ communities experience disasters and climate change through a lens of systemic discrimination, invisibility in policy, and grassroots resilience. The conversation examined both institutional failures and the creative survival strategies developed within queer communities worldwide.

LGBTQ+ individuals are often forced to live in high-risk areas due to housing discrimination, such as informal settlements on landslide-prone hillsides or flood zones. When disasters strike, evacuation to emergency shelters often results in further marginalisation, particularly for trans and non-binary people. Many shelters lack cultural competency and can be sites of danger rather than refuge. Issues include gendered bathrooms, the risk of being outed, and staff lacking training in LGBTQ+ inclusion.

Due to exclusion from formal systems, many queer communities build their own safety nets. LGBTQ+ centres and grassroots groups have provided relief after disasters like Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Florence. These mutual aid networks—sometimes called "pods"—offer food, shelter, and emotional support. However, lack of funding and recognition limits their capacity. There is growing advocacy to redirect public funding toward these trusted, community-based institutions.

A critical barrier to inclusion is the absence of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data in disaster assessments. Many countries avoid collecting this data due to anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment, while others face privacy concerns from communities fearing misuse of sensitive information. This invisibility hinders policy design and equitable response.

The discussion also explored how colonial histories, rigid gender binaries, and toxic masculinity shape current vulnerabilities. Participants highlighted the need to deconstruct traditional notions of masculinity and femininity, especially in emergency management. Queer theory and climate justice movements are calling for upstream changes that value diverse identities, challenge systemic biases, and invest in care-based, inclusive preparedness.

More Information:

• Queer & Present Danger: https://www.americaadapts.org/episodes/queer-and-present-danger-the-lgbtq-community-adapts-to-climate-change
• LGBTQ+ Disaster Displacement: https://socialecology.uci.edu/news/amplified-harm-lgbtq-disaster-displacement
• Queer Climate Justice movement in the US: https://www.queerecoproject.org/queerclimatejusticebook
• Fossil Fueled Transphobia: https://atmos.earth/fossil-fuel-billionaires-are-bankrolling-the-anti-trans-movement/
• Health centers: https://www.lgbtqiahealtheducation.org/publication/disaster-equity-preparedness-response-and-recovery-for-lgbtqia-patients-of-health-centers/

Guests:

• Leo Goldsmith (Yale University, United States)
• Vanessa Raditz (University of Georgia, United States)

Co-Hosts:

• Mr. Jeisson Orlando Garcia (Unidad Nacional para la Gestión del Riesgo de Desastres, Colombia)
• Dr. Mark Ashley Parry (Northumbria University, United Kingdom)

Music: "Sunset" by Kai Engel, available at ⁠Free Music Archive⁠, licensed under CC BY 4.0.