ABSTRACT
Over the past three decades, transitional justice evolved from limited definitions of violence to incorporating feminist critiques around the gendered nature of conflict. While the field has grown substantially, research and engagement with sexual and gender minorities remain slow and limited. This chapter engages with the current transitional justice literature regarding sexual and gender minorities. The first part of this exploration focuses on the critical turn in the field to address systemic inequalities, especially around gender. The relationships between homophobia, heteronormativity, and patriarchy are crucial areas of further investigation as they are tied to not only gender oppression but also anti-queer violence. Queering transitional justice includes not only addressing violence against sexual and gender minorities but also addressing larger systemic forms of homophobic and heteronormative oppression. Although limited in application across states, efforts by some in recent decades to address sexual and gender minorities in transitional justice processes do show a growing trend for greater inclusion. However, the state’s accountability for addressing systemic violence against sexual and gender minorities is limited. The final focus will be pushing the conversation forward by focusing on greater inclusion of sexual and gender minority refugees in transitional justice processes.
