Academic research is often derided as insular and disconnected. Intimately linked to the question of real-world relevance is accessibility – getting critical social studies into the hands (and minds) of the populations social scientists are analyzing.
In 2005, I hit the road on a cross-Canada book tour to promote my first book Pink Blood: Homophobic Violence in Canada. Twenty years later, I travelled to Mexico, Korea and Japan to speak about my latest book, Queer Diplomacy: Homophobia, International Relations and LGBT Human Rights. These journeys got me thinking about how these books, both published by the academic press, have generated ripples of awareness at very different moments in the LGBTQ movement’s evolution.
Academic publishing has changed considerably over the past twenty years. In 2005, the University of Toronto Press’s Pink Blood press releases attracted mainstream media coverage. There was a high-profile book launch at the National Library in Ottawa – with catering and a live pianist! Nothing was electronic: books were sold in community bookstores. I travelled across Canada without a cellphone or newsfeed, on planes, trains and even in a van through the Maritimes. Often I arrived to packed campus auditoriums and meeting halls. LGBTQ activists lined up at the mike, venting their outrage and demanding new policies and legislation to combat homophobic and transphobic violence. Afterwards, when I was signing their books, they would sometimes share their stories with me. And they would weep.
None of that grassroots emotion was on display after the 2022 publication of Queer Diplomacy. At speaking engagements in Europe, Canada and the US, there was a post-pandemic vibe: fewer live participants, many virtual discussions, on-line book sales, and few opportunities to sit down face-to-face: it’s hard to sign an electronic book. (Five years from now, this statement will probably seem quaint.) But here’s the thing: according to my publisher, Palgrave Macmillan, readers from around the world have downloaded Queer Diplomacy for purchase more than 6,000 times. It might not feel like it, but I am reaching a broader and more global readership than I was able to do in 2005.
But then in 2025 the opposite happened, and it was yesterday once more. Queer Diplomacy’s Korean translation by Hantijae Press was published – but not as an electronic version; only as a book. Within a few months, nearly a thousand hard copies of the Korean version were sold. During my visit to Seoul in July 2025 to promote the book, the thirst for new ideas was obvious during my lectures, panel discussions and meetings with dozens of diplomats, queer activists, academics, and government officials. Koreans are actively looking at ways to elevate the debate on the human rights of LGBTQ people in Korea. And I felt privileged to be part of that!
The blistering July visit to Seoul exceeded my expectations. As a first-timer, I feasted on the peninsula’s history at the National Museum of Korea, discovered ancient shrines and temples, reveled in the dizzying street culture, and savoured the night life of a little neighbourhood nicknamed “Homo Hill.” And almost all the meals were unforgettable, including a traditional Korean luncheon with the publisher and my translator, Korean diplomat Junghyun Seo. (I am very grateful to Junghyun, who organized, translated, and simultaneously interpreted almost everything!)
Talk about commitment: 30 activists and scholars came out on a Friday night to discuss my book at an event organized by Rainbow Action and the Korean Association for LGBTQ+ and Queer Studies. I also presented my research to a well-attended high-profile event at the Canadian embassy that attracted a cross-section of Korean society: Korean government officials, politicians, journalists, diplomats, academics, activists and other professionals.
Just like my Pink Blood book tour of 2005, what began as formal book discussions turned into town halls: young queer Koreans grabbed the microphones, demanding recognition and respect. After these events, they handed me bright green copies of Queer Diplomacy to sign. During these brief, intimate conversations, they shared their triumphs, struggle, and visions of a more just and equitable future.
The most precious moments of my stay were spent exchanging views with energetic, forward-looking Korean activists. While I was there, the Republic of Korea was still reeling from the fallout a national political crisis that had driven some queer activists onto the streets, since threats to democracy have a direct impact on their movement. In addition to the cadre of dedicated activists working on institutional, political, and legislative change, many others are creating grassroots social and cultural change through NGOs focused on themes such as education, religion, violence, poverty, homelessness, and mental health issues, including isolation, suicide and addiction.
Although Korea was my peak Queer Diplomacy experience, I participated in many other dialogues. Here are some other precious moments from 2025:
- In April, I had a virtual book discussion with Dr. Nicholas Cull’s students in Los Angeles at the Center on Public Diplomacy at the University of Southern California, which took place at the same time USAID was being dismantled – raising questions about the potential for Canada to play a leadership role.
- In May, the North American Cultural Diplomacy Initiative invited me to Mexico City to do a presentation at the Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana. In my paper, “Queer Diplomacy and Intimacy,” I argued that LGBTQ diplomats’ relationships are particularly fraught given the discrimination and trauma they experience in their work abroad: more research is needed to develop effective supports.
- In June, I appeared on a virtual panel organized by Kaleidoscope Trust, a global LGBTQ rights NGO based in London, along with activists from Kenya and Thailand. I argued it is unrealistic to expect smaller Global North countries such as Canada and the Netherlands to fill the giant vacuum created by USAID’s demise: public-private partnerships are needed to address urgent needs. In the same month, I had another virtual discussion on Queer Diplomacy with the Oxford Pride Alumni Network.
- In July, on the heels of my visit to Seoul, I had the honour of appearing on a panel on LGBTQ rights at the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo with Akira Nishiyama, a queer activist with J-ALL, an NGO demanding an end to social and legal discrimination and inequality in Japan. The event, which took place in English, was followed by a cocktail hosted by the Tokyo chapter of Diplomats for Equality, a global network of LGBTQ diplomats who come together to provide support and exchange views. My hosts, a binational married couple, explained the complex legal and political battles around marriage equality that have been grinding on for years.
- In August, I co-facilitated a workshop with Ester Serra Mingot in Mexico City at an academic symposium called Displacement and Difference, organized by the North American NGO Rainbow Railroad. We considered how diplomats, governments and international organizations can assist NGOs such as Casa Frida, which provides shelter and other supports to displaced LGBTQ people inside Mexico fleeing homophobic and transphobic discrimination and violence.
- I was also invited to speak about my book at the Universidad de las Américas in the city of Puebla, attended by many students from the Faculty of International Relations and Political Science.
- In November, Kaleidoscope Trust invited me to join the Advisory Council of the Global LGBTI+ Rights Commission, a global initiative that aims “to understand, confront, and respond to the escalating rollback of LGBTI+ rights.” I was also invited to participate in a panel discussion on LGBTQ+ gender-based and sexual violence, organized by the University of Ottawa Criminology Students Association.
- Rounding out a busy year, I was invited by the Manitoba Department of Justice to travel to Winnipeg in early December for provide training on anti-LGBTQ hate crimes and human rights violations for Crown prosecutors.
My experiences in 2025 have reignited a passion I thought I had lost! One that propelled my activism decades ago when I worked with many others to combat discrimination, censorship, inequality and violence. My book is helping connect with new generations – and filling me with new energy and hope. The pendulum is swinging back!