Meet the Queer Kayakers Taking on Big Oil on San Francisco Bay

Luna Angulo grew up without knowing the feeling of wind in her hair or salt on her skin while exploring San Francisco Bay. But that’s no longer the case for the 25-year-old, who now trains kayakers to take on big oil and other polluters in actions along Richmond’s 32 miles of shoreline.

The mission of Angulo’s queer-led “kayaktivism” group, the Rich City Rays, is twofold: to employ non-violent direct action in protests against companies like Chevron, which operates a major oil refinery in Richmond, and to challenge predominantly white narratives within the sport. The groups use kayaks “and our bodies” to physically protest the systems that create harm to their communities and the world through the creation and burning of fossil fuels, Angulo said.

“We live next to this beautiful body of water that is dominated by industry, and we are not raised to believe that we have access to it,” she said, dressed in a black, thick-strapped tank top, a matching denim skirt and dangly, beaded butterfly earrings. “Part of the inspiration is about reclaiming our right to access it.”

For Angulo, who has been previously involved in city politics, the effects of climate change in Richmond are personal. She’s lived with asthma since childhood, which she attributes to the pollution emitted from the refinery.

“Even though my family doesn’t have a history of asthma and it’s not passed on through my ancestors, it is very much a product of my environment,” Angulo said.

In early May, the Rich City Rays led a kayak protest on San Francisco Bay near Point Molate, the former naval depot where Chevron docks “boats bringing crude oil from the Amazon, Ecuador and around the world” to refine in Richmond, Angulo said.

The group tries not to block ships, but instead takes up space and “reclaims their right to have access to the water” by holding signs with messages like, “Resist, Rise For Climate Justice.”

“Seals come up and greet us,” Angulo said. “It’s life-affirming for us to be able to be out in community and protest, but also by feeling joyful at the same time.”

The non-violent activism organization, led by entirely queer and trans-identifying people, was inspired to adopt their approach after learning about a similar group called the Mosquito Fleet from the Pacific Northwest, which has led water-based actions to protest Arctic drilling projects.

Angulo and fellow organizer Asho Alvarez said the Rich City Rays are reflective of the “climate justice movement overall,” and connected by their queerness.

“Through the lens of queerness, we’re able to reimagine the world that we want to live in and not necessarily adhere to a lot of heteronormative rules that we’ve been taught,” Alvarez said.

Angulo said it was a no-brainer to recognize the connection between climate change and LGBTQIA+ struggles, and that her queer kayaking community inspires her to continue fighting the fossil fuel companies that have worsened the climate crisis.

“We are all people who care passionately about the world that we live in, but also have this shared experience of being queer,” she said. “Queer people in many ways have an opportunity to see the ways that all of our systems of oppression are deeply interconnected.”

The Rich City Rays aren’t only protesting on the bay; they also teach young people of color to “reclaim their right to have a relationship with the water” by holding introductory kayaking events, community paddles and action-oriented training.

The group is hosting a queer kayak camp trip on Tomales Bay the weekend of June 28 and will provide kayaks and gear for attendees. They will also hold an open summer picnic on July 5 at Point Molate and a BIPOC paddle at the Richmond Marina on July 19.

“It’s really beautiful to be held not only by the water, but by each other,” Angulo said.