To celebrate Pride Month, Sage hosted a virtual panel spotlighting queer studies research from beyond the Western context.

Drawing on expertise from across disciplines, panelists (see full bios below) offered insights into the past, present, and future of LGBTQ+ research. The discussion began with an exploration of how attitudes toward queer studies have shifted over time, highlighting the historical challenges faced by researchers studying non-Western LGBTQ+ perspectives. The panel then delved into the present-day experiences of non-Western LGBTQ+ communities, examining both the positive and negative effects of social media in promoting diverse perspectives. Panelists also addressed the difficulties of conducting research in countries where LGBTQ+ communities are at risk. They emphasized the importance of protecting and gaining the trust of research participants. The session concluded with panelists contemplating the future of queer studies and answering audience questions.

Panelists:

• J. Daniel Luther is an independent academic working in the fields of Gender and Sexuality Studies, Post-colonial, Critical Race, and Cultural Studies. They are a co-founder of 'Queer' Asia. Their first monograph is titled Queering Normativity and South Asian Public Culture: Wrong Readings Only.​

• Mikee Inton-Campbell is a trans academic and activist from the Philippines. Her work centers on representations of queerness in Philippine and Asian cinema and media. She is also an advocate for trans rights; she serves as a board member of the Society of Trans Women of the Philippines. Her chapter Bodies in Transition: The Bakla as Transgender in Philippine Cinema features in The SAGE Handbook of Global Sexualities.​

• Adnan Hossain is a lecturer in Sociology at the University of Glasgow. He is the author of Beyond emasculation: Pleasure and power in the making of hijra in Bangladesh, co-author of Badhai: Hijra-Khwaja Sira-Trans Performance across Borders in South Asia, and his chapter Hijras in South Asia: Rethinking the dominant representations features in The SAGE Handbook of Global Sexualities.

• Saskia E. Wieringa is an honorary Emeritus Professor at the University of Amsterdam and co-founder of the Kartini Asia Network. Since the late 1970s she has done research on women’s movements, sexual politics, and same-sex relations in many parts of the world, particularly in Indonesia. She co-edited The SAGE Handbook of Global Sexualities. Her newest book, A Political Biography of the Indonesian LBT Movement, was published in May 2024.

• Moderated by Gemma Ware from The Conversation in London where she is the co-producer and editor of The Conversation Weekly Podcast and is head of audio for The Conversation UK.

Discover more free-to-access LGBTQ+ resources from Sage in our LGBTQIA+ Resources Hub.