Fighting Back with Queer Histories: A Global Overview

Topic outline:

We are facing a global backlash against LGBTQ+ people and so it is more important than ever to root ourselves in our own history, to show that we exist, and always have existed. This public talk will outline 'bite size' examples of often overlooked global queer histories to highlight this. Covering examples such as queerness in Ancient China, the Ottoman Empire, European ball culture, pre-colonial Africa, Edo Japan, the Comptons' Cafeteria Riots, the Lavender Scare and the Molly Houses in the U.K. This fun and informal talk will outline a range of queer histories from across the globe, but will also give us tools and knowledge to fight back. 

This gateway talk is first in a series of talks and panels for LGBTQ+ HIstory Month in 2024, which will be led by activists and our volunteers in their nation states and regions of the world.

Where is this event held?

This lecture will be held online, via Zoom.

Who is delivering this?

This lecture will be delivered by Drew Dalton, CEO of ReportOUT. Drew is an academic and researcher of queer histories, and these histories have been collected as part of his research for his book about global homophobia to be published by Bloomsbury Press in 2026.