The article argues that trans feminism occupies the location of an outsider within the neoliberal university, particularly institutionalized gender and queer studies. Trans feminism must differentiate its epistemological frameworks from those of gender and queer studies, while simultaneously being dependent on the invitation to be accommodated in their departments. In the context of the neoliberal university, this invitation forces trans feminism into a predicament that positions it as an outsider within institutionalized gender and queer studies and reinforces the instrumentalization of Blackness. Instead of getting lost in epistemological trench warfare, epistemological work must focus on coalition-building and on those who are especially affected by violence, in particular Black, poor, and sex-working trans women.

This article is a restudy of a community of homosexual men with a feminine appearance, entering in relationships with ordinary looking men, in a poor barrio in Mexico where the author conducted fieldwork between 1988 to 1996 (Prieur 1998 a,b) and again in 2024. The informants claimed there were no problems related to social acceptance anymore. They expressed more positive attitudes towards their own male bodies, seeing it less as a source of shame and more as a source of pleasure. The terms used for identifying themselves had also somewhat changed. The first research question is descriptive and seeks to show how identifications, partner relations and sexual practices have changed among self-identified homosexual men in a poor urban area of Mexico City over the last 30 years. The second and more analytical research question asks how these changes relate to changes in gender structures and cultural conditions, and also how the changes have come about.

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and sexual or gender minority (LGBTQ+) individuals have unique reproductive health needs. Yet, they face pervasive stigma and barriers to receiving healthcare in the U.S. Individual qualitative interviews with a purposive sample of sixteen LGBTQ + individuals explored their experiences navigating the healthcare system. Results of thematic analysis were categorized into three areas: identifying the hetero-cis-trans-normative system, tolerating or accepting the system, and challenging the system. Participants discussed encountering continuing stigma and lack of inclusion but also indicated ways to combat it. Participants’ suggestions are used to highlight how healthcare can be improved to meet LGBTQ + needs in a sensitive and nuanced manner.

This study explores the evolving dynamics of marital fidelity in Dagbon, a predominantly Islamic community in northern Ghana, where cultural and religious norms traditionally limit sexual relationships to marriage. Analysed through the lens of Social Exchange Theory (SET), the research investigates how left-behind spouses, 20 participants, evenly divided between women and men, navigate these expectations in the context of internal migration. Historically, societal norms in Dagbon emphasized chastity for both male and female spouses, although polygamous men were culturally permitted to have multiple sexual partners. However, prolonged marital separations and shifting social norms have led to a noticeable rise in extramarital relationships among those in monogamous marriages, prompting a renegotiation of established norms. Drawing on in-depth interviews, the study examines how these couples rationalize their actions while grappling with unmet sexual desires and asserting sexual agency. The findings highlight the tension between personal desires and cultural or religious expectations, revealing a shift in attitudes toward marital sexuality. This paper provides critical insights into the complexities of sexual intimacy amid prolonged separations, contributing to broader discussions on changing marital norms in traditional societies.

Under a climate of enhanced national security in Hong Kong, the staging of the Gay Games, a mass-scale LGBT + international sporting and cultural event held in 2023, came under attack from politicians for its “subversive” potentials. Through an analysis of interviews with volunteers working for the Games, this article focuses on negotiations of language which shaped the messaging strategies thought necessary to respond to these threats and ensure the survival of the event. Using the Hong Kong Gay Games as a relevant case study, the analysis brings concepts of (in)securitization and sustainability to the field of queer Asian studies. This is to argue for the significance of such a focus where public-facing LGBT + organisations seek to maintain their operations in the face of shifting and destabilising discourse systems that are currently impacting community-grounded sexual politics in the region and beyond.

Sex work research has the potential to drive policy shifts, reshape societal attitudes, and inform the reallocation of resources towards the improvement of sex workers’ lives. In this paper, we explore how conscious and unconscious biases about sex work come into play during the research process and, if left unquestioned, contribute to the drafting of research findings that misinterpret, misframe, and misrepresent sex workers’ collective struggle for rights and recognition. Drawing from our unique experiences as researchers with lived experience of the adult industry, we explore some of the possible challenges of sex work research that scholars - especially early career researchers and those with no sex work experience, who may observe the industry through their civilian gaze, should consider. Our paper challenges the epistemic injustice against sex workers and contends that reflecting on the stigma associated with sex work and sex work research, on the biases of the civilian gaze, and on the risks of research that lacks nuance and does not centre sex workers’ lived experience are crucial to produce studies that can truly benefit the community.

This paper draws on a mixed-method Participatory Action Research project, co-produced by academics and strip club dancers, to deliver a post-pandemic analysis of the UK stripping industry more than a decade after the introduction of Sexual Entertainment Venue (SEV) licensing and the expansion of nil-cap bans. Our research makes three original contributions. First, we foreground disability and neurodivergence, largely overlooked in sex work scholarship, to show how strippers who are systematically excluded from mainstream labour markets cannot simply “find another job” when workplaces close, despite assumptions underpinning anti-strip club campaigns. Second, we expose the symbolic, political, and interpersonal violence generated by such campaigns, particularly from strands of radical feminist activism, revealing how they reproduce the very inequalities they claim to oppose. Third, we trace how market concentration and restrictive policy interact to erode workplace safety, fostering a culture of silence and displacing sex workers into more dangerous and criminalised environments, with disproportionate harm to the most marginalised. Centring dancer-led analysis, we conclude with harm-reduction oriented recommendations for regulation that prioritise labour rights, safety, and the self-determination of those most affected.