Why We Need Worm Girl Summer For Survival And Liberation

Last year we had our rat girl summer. We stayed out all night, we were resilient, creative, and community-oriented. This year, we’re digging even deeper underground: introducing Worm Girl Summer. It is time to get sticky and dirty, lead with our hearts, and create networks…underground. Worms, like other insects and creatures that surround us, can teach us so much. We are conditioned so often to be afraid of the dirtier things in our natural world, but these gross little guys create systems that can be powerful tools to restore our communities into the sustainable, ethical, and lateral environments that we envision. Get on the ground, stick your toes in the mud, soak up that summer heat, and let's get our Worm Girl Summer going. 

What can we learn from worms? 

Worms are essential to the decomposition processes of our land. Without worms, dead matter wouldn’t be made new again to fertilize our soil for new things to grow. We can learn from worms to find joy and value in death, decay, or old age. Worms teach us to re-engage with our land and utilize its resources by spending time outside, caring for the green spaces in our urban environments, and re-engaging with our third places. 

For those of us plagued by climate anxiety, the idea of death can induce fear. Worms remind us that there is beauty and value in the end. There are abundant resources in decomposition. Worms also remind us that systems for death and renewal are already at play. The earth and its land will continue without us, which can give us hope. Applying worm-like mediations to the land we occupy can energize and stabilize us. 

When a worm feeds on the soil or decaying materials of the environment, the worm feeds the land back. The land, soil, and dirt need worms to survive. Worms are our reminder that we can take care of the environment and our community best when we take care of ourselves. When we give ourselves all the necessary nutrients, we return them to our environments. Care radiates—what goes around…comes back around.

How can we have a Worm Girl Summer?

First of all, Worm Girl is used loosely here. Worms are non-binary or gender-fluid entities. They are both male and female and mostly just filled with love. So engage with your genderfluid side (we all have one!) and focus on your heart (worms have four!). This summer, let's love and nurture our community and natural environment. This means planting more gardens in your community, getting into your compositing era, laying in the grass at your public park, or cleaning up trash in your neighborhood. It also means allowing our innate sensitivity to be our power, not our downfall. 

A worm's heart is their biggest superpower, and so is ours. Our hearts attune us to the intersectionality of our struggles and commit us to healing them. Our Worm Girl Summer is a call to action, to maintain steadfastness in pursuit of a liberated and loving world. Let our hearts lead us toward fighting for global liberation and a safe environment for the Queer community, especially Trans youth. So, continue showing up at protests and community distros. Put food in your local community fridge and show up for Pride Month!

Don’t fear the worm!

Worms love the summer. They love humid, damp environments – much like the underground platform on your favorite subway platform. This summer, we can lean into the summer energy. Worm Girl Summer means being free to feel the stickiness instead of hiding from it. Lay in the grass! Let the dirt get under your fingertips! Embrace the dirt, the goo, and the summer in all its beauty! Don’t be afraid of what lies below the surface. What’s underground might be our greatest power. Sink lower, imagine new networks, new ways of living. Like the worm, we already have all the resources we need to survive.