Canada Excellence Research Chair in Migration and Integration program will host a two-part event about exploring the transnational migration journeys of 2SLGBTQ+ individuals. Through a panel discussion, we will explore the multifaceted legal, material, and lived experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ migrants and asylum-seekers across their migration trajectories, and examine these journeys from countries of origin, through transit spaces, and finally to settlement in host nations like Canada. Drawing on diverse case studies—such as Iranian refugees in Turkey, racialized francophone 2SLGBTQ+ immigrants in Toronto and Ottawa, and broader contexts in the Global South—the panel will explore themes including the precarities experienced by queer migrant communities, intersectionality, and resilience.
This panel engages a transnational lens to explore the multifaceted legal, material, and lived experiences of 2SLGBTQ+ migrants and asylum seekers across their migration trajectories. It examines these journeys from countries of origin, through transit spaces, and finally to settlement in host nations like Canada. Drawing on diverse case studies—such as Iranian refugees in Turkey, racialized francophone 2SLGBTQ+ immigrants in Toronto and Ottawa, and broader contexts in the Global South—the panel interrogates themes of precarity experienced by queer communities, intersectionality, and resilience. Key discussions will delve into carceral frameworks of asylum, the structural “stuckness” faced by migrants in transit countries, and the paradox of Canada’s homonationalist narrative versus the lived realities of queer refugees navigating a fraught bureaucracy. The panel also considers the vital role of civil society in facilitating integration and well-being, as well as the creative and fugitive strategies 2SLGBTQ+ individuals deploy to carve out agency and belonging amid systemic constraints.
This two-part event will feature academic presentations in the morning and a panel discussion in the early evening with 2SLGBTQ+ immigrants, as well as artist-photographer, and Toronto-based drag artists. The workshop will aim to take stock of existing studies and provide some tentative answers to a range of research questions including: What are the intersectional challenges faced by 2SLGBTQ+ migrants throughout their migration journeys? How do systemic barriers like restrictive policies, labour exploitation, and precarious housing affect their lives? What roles do civil society and community-led initiatives play in fostering integration and well-being? And finally, how do 2SLGBTQ+ migrants resist confinement and create spaces of resilience and belonging?
The panel will be co-chaired by Amin Moghadam, Research Lead, Cities and Migration; Responsable du développement du réseau francophone de la recherche,Toronto Metropolitan University and Shiva S Mohan, Research Fellow, Toronto Metropolitan University
- Conversation with drag artists: Jaja, Mahriel, and Kimora Amour
- Film screening, Swimming Against the Current, Melika Shafahi
- Panelists reflections
We will confirm the venue soon, but it will be near our office.
For more information, please visit our website.
