In recent years, LGBTQ+ rights have become a global battleground, shaping political alliances and conflicts. From the United States’ fight against terrorism, backed by the discourse of “homonationalism”, to Russia’s anti-LGBTQ+ laws and framing of its invasion of Ukraine as part of a struggle for “traditional values”, the world is often described as divided into two opposite geopolitical camps: those who support LGBTQ+ rights and those who oppose them.

Beyond Queer Cold Wars challenges this idea by bringing together case studies of how sexuality and gender are entangled in geopolitical relations in multiple and sometimes unexpected ways. The chapters move between social movement mobilization, media, arts and popular culture, religion, economic forces and high-level international politics, and show the richness, complexity and nuanced histories of contemporary politics of gender and sexuality. By examining the blurred lines between support and opposition to LGBTQ+ rights, Beyond Queer Cold Wars offers a fresh perspective on the global fight for equality, emphasizing that no country or movement is as simple as it might appear.

Maryna Shevtsova is a political scientist, currently a Senior post-doctoral FWO Fellow at KU Leuven.

Tatiana Klepikova is a cultural and literary studies scholar, currently leading a research group on queerness under socialism at the University of Regensburg.

Emil Edenborg is an associate professor and senior lecturer in Gender Studies at Stockholm University.