the way out
Harney Lecture Series

Book Launch - The Way Out: Justice in The Queer Search for Refuge

March 27, 2026 | 4:00PM - 6:00PM
 | 
In-person
Harney Program, Migration & borders

This event is over

Location | Boardroom, 315 Bloor St. West, Toronto, M5S 0A7
The global refugee regime has shifted under our feet. Over the last forty years, international asylum practices have expanded to include the queer and trans displaced. At least thirty-seven countries now recognize LGBTIQ refugees on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, with some states providing specialized support. Yet amid this expansion, backlash has intensified against refugee protection as well as the hard-earned rights of LGBTIQ people. In this disquieting context, the protection of LGBTIQ refugees remains partial and exclusionary.
 
The Way Out examines the complexities of queer and trans displacement around the world. Centring personal narratives of LGBTIQ refugees, the book exposes the shortcomings of an international protection regime that is unable to address the harms that drive displacement.  
Sponsor: Harney Program in Ethnic, Immigration, and Pluralism Studies
Harney Program, Migration & borders
Karen Reyes Harneyprogram@utoronto.ca

Speakers

Rebecca B
Rebecca Buxton

Lecturer in Social and Political Philosophy at the University of Bristol

Sam R
Samuel Ritholtz

Postdoctoral Research Fellow in Politics at All Souls College, University of Oxford

Swathi
Swathi Sekhar

Director of Protection Initiatives at Rainbow Railroad