Plenary #3: Transnational Partnerships in the Time of COVID19

Description

In a world of inequality, transnational partnerships are inevitably complicated. On the one hand is the potential for cross-border solidarity and aligning national concerns with a transnational movement. And on the other is an imbalance in access to resources, including the media. This is further complicated by the geo-politics of queer activism and the accusation that LGBTI+ rights are a foreign interference. International solidarities risk discrediting national projects by being cast as ‘outside influence’. When partnerships develop in response to an unfolding crisis, or human rights abuse, they tend to be temporary and dissolve when the crisis has passed. The COVID19 pandemic has exposed the fault lines of inequality within the LGBTI+ movement. It has also opened new avenues for connection, and solidarity across borders. Drawing on developments in Panama and Egypt, this panel will explore the limits and possibilities of transnational partnerships in the time of COVID19.