ABSTRACT

Violent conflicts often reinforce pre-existing heteronormative and homophobic codes of sexual conduct which leads to the control, surveillance and punishment of bodies that transgress the community’s gender and sexual norms. The legacies of these conservative sexual narratives and practices shape sexual politics in the conflict transformational period. The Northern Ireland case study exposes how struggles around bodily autonomy can be framed as radical interventions that expand the values of democracy, equality, human rights, security and parity of esteem, creating more meaningful visions of peace in societies emerging from conflict.