Sexualities, Ahead of Print.
Despite the growth in Queer diaspora research over the last 30 years, several gaps and tensions persist in the literature. This article outlines the current state of the literature and suggests future research agendas for addressing theoretical, empirical, and methodological gaps in order to sustain the field’s continued development. It draws upon the author’s empirical research on Queer Ukrainian diasporas to further highlight these gaps and justify research needs. Starting with theoretical tensions, these mostly concern difficulties navigating various understandings and applications of the term ‘Queer diaspora’. This is best represented by two main, yet opposing, conceptualisations of Queer diaspora referred to as ‘diasporisation of Queer’ and ‘Queering the diaspora’. This article discusses their current limitations and suggests how empirical research can further develop these theoretical frameworks. Empirical challenges primarily involve population gaps resulting from the tendency of Queer diaspora research to explore migrants from certain sending and receiving countries. Other empirical gaps concern improving our understanding of the relationships between Queer diasporas and factors including time, language, and digital spaces. Finally, through a discussion around methodology, this article joins the calls for greater adoption of intersectional approaches which also offer an opportunity to reflect on research ethics.