LGBTIQ+, Sexuality, Queer and Trans Studies, Policies and Politics

The struggle for the recognition of LGBTIQ+ lives and rights has a rich and diverse history and has led to various outcomes across Europe and beyond. Despite notable progress in some countries in acknowledging and safeguarding the rights of LGBTIQ+ communities, serious challenges still persist. In the last decade, they have faced increasing opposition by anti-gender mobilizations, far-right and new forms of traditionalist conservatism. Far-right movements and parties in different parts of the world have intensified their rhetoric and organized their capacities to politicise gender and equality issues, restrict access to fundamental LGBTIQ+ rights, sexual education, contest same-sex unions, and operate against initiatives promoting rights for trans, intersex and non-binary persons. This is evident in the continuous encroachment on LGBTIQ+ rights in such diverse countries such as Hungary, and Russia, as well as the UK or Italy, and the rise of anti-LGBTIQ+ rhetoric from politicians, policymakers, and public figures in other European countries too. The rhetoric propagated by anti-gender activists and far-right and neo-traditionalist ideologies is intersectionally entangled with broader power structures including patriarchy, racism, colonialism, capitalism and neoliberalism, which also challenge the very foundation of equality and inclusive society, as well as democracy. In this context, trans and intersex politics represent an increasingly important and visible frontier within the broader LGBTIQ+ movement. The mobilization for legal recognition, access to healthcare, and inclusion have gained prominence. The presence of trans and intersex persons in sports, education or health care, and the debate surrounding gender self-determination policies have increasingly been contested, leading to a proliferation of discussions and conflicts among politicians, media or on social media platforms. The involvement of a faction of feminist actors, referred to as trans-exclusionary (TERFs), aligning with anti-gender discourses, perspectives and objectives adds further complexity to the situation. Moreover, as violence and persecution against LGBTIQ+ communities persist or re-emerge in many regions, an increasing number of people are forced to leave their homes and migrate in search of safety and protection, be it from political and state-sponsored trans- and homophobia or armed conflicts. Understanding the challenges and vulnerabilities faced by queer refugees and migrants within their countries of origin as well as in the countries of destination is essential for developing effective policies and support mechanisms. This is not limited to countries traditionally known for being less LGBTIQ+ friendly; it also exists in some developed democracies, where retrogressive policies and attitudes continue to hinder rights and acceptance. In these countries, LGBTIQ+ persons often face legal discrimination, violence, and social stigma, which undermine their safety, well-being, and fundamental human rights. Conversely, some countries have adopted more LGBTIQ+ inclusive policies, passing progressive legislation and promoting acceptance and equality. Building on these considerations, it is imperative to examine the interconnections between actors opposing gender and LGBTIQ+ equality and narratives rooted in distrust in order to develop comprehensive approaches that effectively tackle the various barriers to societal advancement and achieving of LGBTIQ+ equal rights. This mixed configuration of promotion and negation of LGBTIQ+ rights and equality produces ambivalent effects, ranging from the empowerment of self-organized, self-help local communities and activist networks to intensified social inequalities and dynamics of political exclusion. Finally, LGBTIQ+ rights have acquired a prominent and disputed role in contemporary geopolitical conflicts, including Russia’s war against Ukraine and Israel’s genocidal aggression on Palestine. On the one hand, they are being asymmetrically mobilized to legitimize war and genocide, through homophobia in the case of Russia, and pinkwashing and homonationalism in the case of Israel. On the other hand, these dynamics are giving rise to queer resistances that are recentering anti-militarism and anti-colonialism in the struggle against cisheteronormative oppression, thus rearticulating LGBTIQ+ rights through transnational solidarity. We invite panel and paper proposals that will focus especially but not exclusively on these topics: • Contemporary configurations of LGBTIQ+ mobilization; • Trans, intersex and non-binary identities and related politics, including areas of health care, education, partnership or sports; • Forced queer migration, LGBTIQ+ refugees from war, armed conflicts, and state-sponsored homophobia; • Varieties of anti-gender/anti-trans and anti-LGBTIQ+ activism and movements, (including their overlaps with populist, anti-vax, anti-climate and other mobilisations (dissemination of conspiracy theories) as obstacles to equality; • The intersection of anti-gender/anti-LGBTIQ+ agendas and responses with broader systems of power including patriarchy, racism, colonialism, capitalism and neoliberalism and their impact on democracy; illiberal, far-right and neo-conservative and neo-traditionalist narratives and politics; • The role of LGBTIQ+ rights in contemporary geopolitical conflicts and forms of genocide, and queer mobilizations in response; • Forms of institutional, political and state-centred, homo, trans and LGBTIQ-fobia; • The role of the education system in promoting LGBTIQ+ acceptance/knowledge (challenges and strategies for implementing inclusive curricula) and challenges of anti-gender movements to education; • Partnership, parenting and family state policies regarding LGBTIQ+ persons, rights, advocacy, partnership; • Queer politics and affect theory: the politics of affects, the role of emotions, feelings, and sensation in the (re)production of queer identities, collectives, and resistance; as well as in populist and anti-gender politics and discourses. While all panel proposals and papers are welcome, we particularly encourage contributions that provide critical insights into less researched European and neighbouring areas, including areas with significant LGBTIQ+ relevant migration patterns to Europe.