ABSTRACT
This chapter offers a critical reflection on contemporary security studies by making explicit some of the ways in which LGBT approaches and queer theory can contribute to the mainstream concept of security. It identifies some of the key limitations of mainstream security studies, drawing primarily from insights from feminist theories of international relations (IR). The chapter suggests some of the ways in which LGBT and queer perspectives can contribute to people's thinking on contemporary security issues in IR. It demonstrates how these approaches have clarified the author's thinking about security studies as a lesbian researcher working with Loyalist women paramilitaries in postconflict Northern Ireland. The opportunity to examine how these approaches are negotiated on the ground in a postconflict setting offers important insights to the study of security, especially related to conflict. The interplay of theoretical examination and practical application encourage more inclusive conversations between IR and LGBT and queer theory in a way that generates both practical and methodological benefits.
