Explore the Queer Animal Oracle with Ash + Chess

by Ashley Molesso and Chess Needham, founders of Ash + Chess

Animals have always been a core part of both of our lives, from learning about their longtime existence and evolution on the planet we share to the love and companionship we both have had the joy of experiencing, snuggling our faces into family pets. What many people don’t know, or often overlook, is that animals of all sorts can be queer, just like us, in many ways. From putting community first to starting families regardless of sex and truly everything in between, animals have a lot of things figured out that our human world has put blocks and restraints on over the centuries of societal development.

We wanted to make this deck for you because times are rough, arguably rougher than before in some areas of life. We are fighting back against authoritarian governments, resisting harsh and unjust laws against our own bodies, and flocking toward our communities and others in need—because if one thing is true, it’s that we can’t survive without each other. Animals have always been in coexistence with each other and have learned to create beauty and rhythm to their ways of life and moving through this world. Every species plays a role in the ecosystem that, when it comes down to it, contributes to the overall success of the community. They’ve got a balance figured out. So why can’t we at least try to?

The Queer Animal Oracle seemed like an obvious next project for us because of our love for animals and for getting deep with ourselves and learning to heal. This deck might not heal your absolute deepest wounds, but maybe it can help them scab over a bit. We hope that this deck will encourage queer people to accept themselves and blossom into the beautiful humans they are meant to be!

This deck takes a deep dive into each of the sixty featured animals’ personalities and special quirks, with the end goal of urging you to use nature and its beauty as inspiration in your everyday life. We want to celebrate these animals and use their unique qualities and traits to help guide us on our own journeys of self-love and healing—because even among the different species on this earth, we aren’t so different from each other after all.

Queerness and Animals

While this deck is created by and meant for queer and trans people, when we talk about constructs like gender and sexuality in animals, we have to recognize that they are just that—constructs. Made by people. Queerness does not exist without a societal notion of “normal” and was created by humans as a means to other a group who does not conform to that norm. Some of the animals in this deck do have explicit traits that correlate to our concept of transition or queerness—a caterpillar changing into a butterfly, for example, or bonobos and dolphins having intimate relationships with any sex. However, most of the animals in this deck instead show us queerness by teaching us a lesson—to be soft, to be strong, to be community minded, to have independence, to start over, to find yourself.

Photo of cards from the Queer Animal Oracle deck

The Deck

Some of these animals have been documented and observed to exhibit queer and even queer-coded behaviors, and others are just iconic to the LGBTQIA+ community! While choosing animals, we picked a wide range to try to represent a diverse and super cute collection of creatures. There are sixty cards divided into four different elemental categories—Water, Earth, Fire, and Air—or fifteen animals per category.

Each animal description was written with their behaviors and personality traits in mind, pulling from their inherent and instinctual quirks. Above each description, there are three key words to quickly describe the animal’s essence. Below each description, there is a Be the Animal section giving tips on how to filter that animal’s qualities into your own life. We hope you have fun with these suggestions in a playful and curious manner, finding ways to let your most primal self out!

Water includes animals and creatures who heavily rely on ponds, lakes, oceans, and rivers to live. Whether they sleep in it or on it or even dunk their heads under from time to time, Water is life, and this group knows how to let the Water roll off their backs.

Earth includes animals and creatures who are known to thrive on land, though they may be part of other elemental categories, too—such as the Beaver thriving on Earth and in Water, or the Wasp with its Fire-y nature living part of its life in the Air. Our habitats can be interchangeable. We are able to adapt and find different uses and opportunities in our surroundings. This group knows how to respect and thank the Earth for the steadiness and groundedness it provides for all.

Fire includes animals and creatures who have a fiery nature, whether from their personalities and behaviors or even just where they live. They can have passionate qualities, they can get heated over the good and the bad, and they often like dry, dry heat. Fire provides the heat needed to get things moving along.

Air includes animals and creatures who are often in flight for part of their lives—always on the go, soaring through the Air and letting it lift them up higher and higher. They can breeze on by, floating their way to the next chapter of life. Note that some of the animals in this section have wings, but don’t typically fly—such as the Chicken and the Peacock. These animals don’t fly often, but they have the capability.

Exploring the Cards

Flamingo (Water)
Flamboyant, Beautiful, Balanced

The flamboyance of the Flamingo is impossible to miss, with its bright pink feathers and distinctive silhouette standing out among all other creatures. The Flamingo is also easily recognizable from its iconic stance with one leg lifted. This stance reminds us to focus on balance in all of its forms.

Be the Flamingo: When balancing a lot, it’s important to focus on small things so we don’t topple over. Sometimes we are given a heavy load to carry, but we can look at it as a scale we need to weigh on both ends to find balance. If there is too much in one area, can you redistribute? Do you need to ask for help? Balance with grace.

Model: Polly Adams — she/her

Opossum (Earth)
Stoic, Renewing, Simple

The Opossum moves slowly and deliberately, coming out at night to wander in search of food. They are nomadic, leaving behind a shelter when they are done with it, in search of a new temporary home. This leaves them unattached and unburdened by their past. The Opossum keeps things simple—its life is mostly looking for food, carrying its young in its pouch, or playing dead to keep itself safe from predators.

Be the Opossum: Mimic the Opossum’s ability to detach. Detachment doesn’t have to mean being cold or isolated—it can simply mean not holding on to what you can’t control. If the Opossum finds that its current home is out of the resources it needs, it simply moves on, regardless of how perfect the location may be in other ways. The Opossum knows when it is time to move forward and does not let the past dictate the present.

Model: Kyle Lasky — he/him

Zebra (Fire)
Distinctive, Tough, Determined

Despite not being at the top of the food chain, the Zebra is tough and able to hold its own in a fight—they can even shatter a lion’s jaw by kicking it. The Zebra reminds us that sometimes when we are so highly visible, we need to be proactive about protecting ourselves. Often just projecting an air of confidence and self-assuredness can be enough to keep away a potential predator. Use your stripes to show others we are here and we will not hide or camouflage ourselves.

Be the Zebra: Think about what parts of yourself you typically want to hide. Do you feel like they are too much? Have you looked around—really looked around—to see if other people display those same stripes? Know that wearing your stripes proudly might just be the key to helping someone else unlock their own stripes. Sometimes we think it would be easier to blend in, but really, standing out makes us powerful. We know ourselves best and are not afraid to show others.

Model: Riz Carthins — they/them/babygirl

Albatross (Air)
Energetic, Efficient, Dynamic

The Albatross is breathtaking—with the largest wingspan of any bird, its ability to glide over the sea effortlessly is simply beautiful. But even more intriguing are the Laysan albatrosses of Hawaii. In 2008, nearly 30% of these albatross couplings were discovered to have double clutches, meaning that two female albatrosses shared their eggs and nested together. These female albatrosses decide to use a male albatross as a sperm donor and then partner with each other to raise their chicks.

Be the Albatross: Create an unconventional family. Family can be anything and anyone that you choose or that chooses you—there is no rule around this. Any family can nurture you in a lifelong partnership. Consider what makes you feel safe with someone and try to give that to the world.

Model: Tyson Blackmon — they/them

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