The Mushroom Agenda
“Fungi are nonbinary: they are neither plants nor animals, but possess a mixture of qualities common to both groups, upending the prevailing binary concept of nature. It is rare for a fungus to have only two biological sexes, and some fungi, such as Schizophyllum commune, have as many as 23,000 mating types.” Patricia Kaishian & Hasmik Djoulakian The Science Underground: Mycology as a Queer Discipline
As outliers in the natural world, fungi populate the intersectional gray areas of our environment. Existing somewhere between plant and animal, mushrooms, not unlike the LGBTQ community, resist categorization. Many folks have opined that mushrooms are queer–both in biology and the social culture around them. As a pansexual trans man working in the world of mycology, I figured I’d be a good point of reference to share some of the ways that mushrooms and the LGBTQ community go together like Pride parades and sunburns.
It’s hard to say if I found the mushroom community or if it found me. As many other queer folks can understand, it took me a while after starting my transition to feel confident enough to apply for jobs in my field (I studied digital media). I used my retail job as a jumping-off platform. Finally, in the fall of 2019, I applied for a marketing internship at North Spore, a mushroom spawn production company specializing in education and equipment for growing your own mushrooms at home. I knew nothing of the world of mushrooms—or so I thought.
For my interview, I met North Spore’s three owners at a coffee shop in Westbrook, Maine. Coming around the corner to face them was a little intimidating at first, but very quickly I picked up their relaxed, non-judgemental vibes. It didn’t take me long to realize that this alternative, chill energy permeates through the entirety of North Spore, and a lot of the mycological community in general. I felt comfortable, and like this could be a place I belong. They chose me.
As a trans person looking for work, it can be terrifying. We grow up in a society that tells us directly and indirectly that no one will choose us—whether that is for a job, relationship, or a sports team… To be welcomed in a community other than the default of the LGBTQ community (full gratitude nonetheless!) feels fantastic.
In the past three and a half years, I have learned that the folks drawn to mushroom activities–be it foraging, growing, cooking, or using them as medicinal products—tend toward open-mindedness in a lot of things, including gender and sexuality. Many North Spore employees are queer. It’s a beautiful community that has flourished over the years, and I look forward to seeing how we and others continue to make workplaces more inclusive.
So yes! This is your VIQP (very important queer person) invitation to join the mycological community: Go on a local foraging tour; watch some North Spore YouTube videos on how to start growing your own mushrooms at home in your yard or indoors; research the ever-growing list of benefits of eating mushrooms and taking medicinal mushroom supplements.
You’d be surprised at all the ways the LGBTQ community permeates the mushroom community and all the ways that mycology itself is queer and embraces queerness and alternativity in itself. You can learn more about North Spore and our team of LGBTQ folks and allies at northspore.com #spreadthespore
