Transformed Title: Beings of Potentiality

In a thought-provoking reflection, author Riley Black shares how their personal transition has led them to reconsider their views on life on Earth and the boundaries we create and uphold. This introspection is echoed in the field of queer ecology, a theoretical framework that challenges traditional, binary, and essentialist views of gender and sexuality in relation to nature.

Queer ecology, drawing on queer theory's critique of fixed categories of gender and sexuality, applies this critique to ecological and environmental contexts. It emphasizes fluidity, diversity, and the social construction of these concepts, revealing how nature itself displays a spectrum of sexualities and gender expressions. This approach destabilizes normative ideas about "natural" behaviors and identities, critiquing capitalist and patriarchal structures that seek to discipline bodies and reproduce normalized forms, both in society and in conceptualizations of nature.

For instance, Sean Sayers' work on queer ecology points out how capitalist "second nature" creates alienated, disciplined bodies as opposed to the more diverse, intimate “first nature” relations. By acknowledging the natural world's own diversity and variability in gender/sexual expressions and rejecting normative classifications, queer ecology encourages a more inclusive, relational, and non-hierarchical understanding of humans' place within ecological systems. It calls for attentiveness to marginalized identities and bodies on both social and ecological levels, thus expanding environmentalism beyond binary categories and embracing multiplicity and queerness as part of the natural.

Riley Black's personal journey intertwines with this intellectual exploration. Identifying with the bluegill fish, which were considered aberrations of nature and transgender people were in the 90s pop culture landscape they grew up in, Black finds parallels in the fluidity of gender and sexuality within the natural world. The bluegill fish demonstrate how even fish designated as the same sex can take on varied forms, challenging traditional understandings of sex and gender.

Humans, like other species, grapple with the connections between sex and gender. Biologically, penis and vagina are different arrangements of the same parts. Traits we think of as associated with sex vary throughout human lives based on hormone concentrations. Riley Black's transition has been a biological crash course, teaching them about hormones and their effects on the body.

Some reptiles, such as alligators and crocodiles, are not genetically determined to be a particular sex at fertilization. The sex of reptilian embryos depends on the temperature the eggs develop within. The bluehead wrasse can quickly transform their ovary that makes eggs into a testis that generates sperm, further challenging traditional lessons about biological sex.

Riley Black does not intend to distill a naturally-based "should" derived from what other species do. Instead, they suggest that our most powerful lessons about the nature of biological sex come from what we've traditionally deemed strange or confusing. Biological science is often focused on differences, but we should never mistake the systems and labels we create for reality.

Adrian Forsyth's book, "A Natural History of Sex," discusses three types of male bluegill fish: territorial males, sneakers, and satellites, the latter two of which look like females. The characterization of these fish as deceivers and experts at cuckoldry left Riley Black feeling unsettled, as it seemed to imply that these fish were intentionally doing something illicit. However, this perspective overlooks the natural fluidity and diversity in gender and sexual expression within the animal kingdom.

Gender is a concept related to our beliefs about sex that varies across times, places, and cultures. Riley Black started experiencing menstrual symptoms despite lacking some of the anatomy associated with periods, demonstrating to them that soft muscle is just as good according to their hormones. These lessons remind us that our understanding of gender and sex is not fixed or universal, but rather a fluid and evolving concept.

In summary, queer ecology challenges traditional views by rejecting binary, fixed understandings of gender and sexuality as "natural" or universal, emphasizing diversity and fluidity in sexual and gender expression within non-human nature, critiquing capitalist, patriarchal systems that shape and value bodies in constrained ways, promoting new ways of relating to nature that are inclusive and recognize mutability and multiplicity, and calling for attentiveness to marginalized identities and bodies on both social and ecological levels. Riley Black's personal journey underscores these principles, offering a unique perspective on the fluidity and diversity of gender and sexuality within the natural world.

Riley Black's exploration of queer ecology encourages a shift in understanding towards a more inclusive and relational approach to human place within ecological systems, taking inspiration from the diversity and fluidity of sexual and gender expressions observed in nature.
The field of education and self-development, specifically personal growth and mindfulness, could benefit from integrating the principles of queer ecology, as it promotes a more nuanced understanding of gender and sexuality that transcends the boundaries created by capitalist and patriarchal structures.
In their personal transition, Riley Black delves into the realm of science, learning about hormones and their effects on the body, which is a reflection of the way biological structures can influence expressions of gender and sexuality.
A health-and-wellness magazine could uphold the values of queer ecology by dedicating an issue to exploring the intersection of sexual health, mental health, and nature, offering alternative, more encompassing perspectives on human relationships with the environment.
As a thought-provoking contributor to the culture of art and literature, Riley Black intersectionally ties together themes of sexuality, gender, nature, and selfhood, providing thoughtful prose that encourages readers to challenge their conventional views on the natural world and humankind's role within it.