A recent study from the Journal of Climate Change and Health indicates climate change may widen preexisting health disparities in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer populations.
"Can’t Stop Change: Queer Climate Stories from the Florida Frontlines” is a Queers 4 Climate Justice documentary that premiered last weekend at the Tampa Bay Transgender Film Festival. It illustrates those disparities and more — and the work being done to counteract them.
The documentary follows the production team on a road trip across Florida to meet with 14 LGBTQ+ artists, organizers and activists.
“A lot of queer and trans people are already vulnerable and made vulnerable by state policies, by economic disenfranchisement, all of that,” said Yarrow Koning, co-director of the film.
"It can be much more difficult for these communities who are already vulnerable to be able to cope with the shocks that come up in the case of hurricanes, or slower disasters, like sea level rise."
Koning said the film explores this issue — and showcases queer Floridians who are fighting for climate justice.
“So much of the frontline organizers who are doing mutual aid response, and helping communities cope with climate change and cope with natural disasters, are made up of queer and trans folks,” Koning said.
They said while the film absolutely touches on queer and trans trauma in the wake of anti-LGBTQ+ bills proposed and passed into law in Florida, they also highlight stories of queer and trans joy, queer and trans dreams for liberation, and queer and trans resistance movements.
“There's a really beautiful scene in there that's just like queer and trans people at the beach in Miami, and just enjoying their lives. And I think that's just as important to the film as some of our heavy political analysis is.”
“Can’t Stop Change” is fiscally sponsored by the Southern Documentary Fund. Screening rights are available free of charge to groups in Florida and on a sliding scale fee structure for groups outside of Florida. More information is available at www.queerecoproject.org/cant-stop-change.
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