Queer ecology explains that gender is fluid

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June 27, 2026 | 12:00am

MANILA, Philippines — In the film “Finding Nemo,” his father is shown to have become female after their mother died.

After all, it is believed that when a female clownfish dies, the dominant male takes on the role of the mother.

This is one of many examples cited by advocates of queer ecology, a field that examines how diversity in sex, gender and sexual behavior exists throughout the natural world.

Among the earliest recorded observations of same-sex sexual behavior in animals were Adélie penguins documented in 1911.

Von Eric Tagarino of the University of the Philippines-Baguio’s Department of Biology noted that researcher George Murray Levick wrote parts of his observations in Greek to hide them.

But history has long documented same-sexual behaviors among animals, with two male bugs copulating in 1834.

While these behaviors were once explained as dominance, aggression, mistaken identity or the absence of females, those claims were challenged as early as 1896.

The Department of Environment and Natural Resources’ Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) has also highlighted examples of queer ecology in the Philippines.

Among them are the unggoy, one of the country’s non-human primates that exhibits non-reproductive sexual behavior, including same-sex behavior.

The bureau also cited the first documented case of hermaphroditism in green mussels in Inner Malampaya Sound in Taytay, Palawan.

Meanwhile, lapu-lapu are protogynous hermaphrodites, beginning life as females before undergoing hormonal changes that transform them into males, particularly when a dominant male dies.

“Animals’ innate capacity to have fluid gender roles, choose same-sex leaders and love their fellow mates regardless of gender proves how nature works without any discrimination and barriers,” the bureau said.

“This is our reminder that queerness has always been a natural part of our environment. It’s nothing to fear or discriminate against – it’s just how animals live, love and thrive,” it added.

While some argue that humans, as the most advanced species, should be governed solely by human morality, Tagarino said people should avoid placing themselves above the rest of the natural world.

“If we notice the biomass on Earth, almost none of the humans make up most of those biomass. We think so highly of ourselves, and that’s historically proven,” he said.

For Tagarino, queer ecology helps people recognize that queerness exists in nature and challenges the misconception that it is unnatural.

“This is natural, it exists and the point is to dismantle the thinking that it’s not natural, that it doesn’t exist, that it’s against queer people, because it’s seen in the environment that we live in,” he said.

Tagarino called on experts to invest more in queer ecology, saying there is still much to discover about animal behavior.

‘Prioritize SOGIE’

As part of this year’s Pride Month celebrations, LGBTQ+ organizations gathered yesterday to renew their call for stronger legal protections for the community.

During a Pride Month protest at Liwasang Bonifacio in Manila, Bahaghari and Stonewall Philippines urged President Marcos to prioritize equality measures, including the long-pending SOGIE Equality Bill.

The groups had planned to march to the US embassy but remained at the park because of heavy rain.

For the past three years, Stonewall Philippines spokesperson Matty Rebulado said the Marcos administration has yet to take concrete action to address the concerns of the LGBTQ+ community.

With the SOGIE Equality Bill stuck in Congress for more than two decades, Bahaghari spokesperson Yell Teresa said discrimination against LGBTQIA+ people remains widespread, particularly in schools and workplaces.

“It’s all about the talk. Words are not enough. The LGBT community continues to be discriminated against and exploited every day of their lives,” Teresa said.

Rebulado stressed that making the SOGIE Equality Bill one of the President’s priority measures would demonstrate the administration’s commitment to the community.

Teresa, meanwhile, highlighted other proposed measures, including the Right to Care Act and the “Sharmaine” Bill as important steps toward achieving equality.

“Members of the LGBTQIA+ community should not be discriminated against, isolated to the spaces where they are,” Teresa said.