A Useful Stigma? Sexual and Gender Minorities, the 'Pink Line' and Global Geopolitics

What is this about?

What challenges do sexual and gender minorities face across the globe and what does homo/bi/transphobia look like in today’s world? This talk takes a global snapshot of queer human rights in key regions of the world, how they impacted by and are felt by, queer people and their communities. Through charting case studies of queer lives, and through in-depth interviews with activists, businesses, UN agencies and INGOs/NGOs, it intends to bring some of my initial findings from over 28 interviews (so far) to light.

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Utilising concepts such as the 'Pink Line' (Gevisser, 2021) and a reworking of Tyler's stigma as a 'Machinery of Inequality' (2022) and her concepts of 'stigma power' and 'statecraft,' this talk will create a deeper understanding of the lived experiences of queer people today, including their fights, foes, gains, losses, and wins, in a transitional world where LGBTQI+ politics and rights have become a geo-political battleground, to both weaponise LGBTQI+ people, and to gain LGBTQI+ equality.

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