Are you an ecosexual?
If you think the Earth is a sensual place worth saving, you could be…
Artists and educators Annie Sprinkle and Beth Stephens coined the term “ecosexual” in 2009 as a person who considers the Earth a lover, rather than a mother.
To drive this relationship-status home, Sprinkle and Stephens have staged almost 15 large-scale weddings to the Earth, moon, sun, and sea.
This all could seem a bit… much. But the couple insists that their works and art are truly meant to give the environmental movement a fun and diverse twist.
“You might give your mother a hard time and she’ll put up with it, but with a lover it’s a question of give and take and, ecosexuals believe, that’s just what the planet needs right now,” The Guardian reports.
Any person who wants to help the Earth knows that keeping one’s relationship with the planet sustainable is important.
This kind of sustainable, reciprocal relationship is what ecosexuality is all about. Instead of just taking from the Earth, human beings must give back, Stephens says.
“This movement is so important now because climate change is endangering the Earth and all of its inhabitants,” she adds.
“We cannot continue practicing business as usual because that system is destroying the very resources, such as water, that all living beings need to stay alive and flourish.”
Thinking outside the box
The Earth is free of gender. And Sprinkle and Stephens think this gender-free distinction could help people better respect the planet and its resources.
“Thinking of the Earth as male or female reifies binary thinking,” Stephens explains.
“This allows us to privilege one thing over another. It makes some things worth keeping and others… not so much.”
It’s not such a crazy idea. After all, throughout history, westerners have privileged culture over nature. And Stephens thinks the world’s current ecological crises is the result of that thinking.
These ecosexuals may be on to something…
In addition to discussing ecosexuality, Stephens and Sprinkle make art, create performance and theater pieces, give lectures, and produce and direct films. Find out more about their work here.