The Queer Face of War

1 month ago | thequeerfaceofwar.substack.com | J. Lester Feder

Reverend Yunus Coldman at a vigil for Sam Nordquist. Last week, I went to a vigil for Sam Nordquist, a transman who was tortured and murdered in upstate New York. When it began, the organizers announced that two other trans people who had recently been murdered would also be honored that night.

2 months ago | thequeerfaceofwar.substack.com | J. Lester Feder

It’s been a busy summer. While working to find a publisher for The Queer Face of War, I’ve also been reporting a couple magazine pieces about sexuality and gender persecution in wars beyond Ukraine. One published this week in Foreign Policy, looking at how the homophobia Russia is deploying in its conquest of Ukraine is affecting queer people at home. In January, Russians learned the government had declared the “International LGBT Movement” an “extremist” organization in a secret proceedings.

2 months ago | thequeerfaceofwar.substack.com | J. Lester Feder

We've never had a war where so many LGBTQ people are willing to be out about their experiences. And they're fighting a government that has made homophobia an explicit weapon of war. The Queer Face of War is the first broad documentary project showing how queer people can be especially vulnerable in conflict — and how they can feel particularly called to fight for their communities. And for queer people, visibility is power.

2 months ago | thequeerfaceofwar.substack.com | J. Lester Feder

Hello dear friends! Thanks for being my first subscribers!I arrived in Warsaw yesterday from New York, and tomorrow I head to Kyiv. Some of you have asked about the logistics of getting to Ukraine during the war. The airspace is closed, so the easiest way to go is by train. Tomorrow morning I’ll take a train from Warsaw to the border, wait a couple hours, and then board an overnight train to Kyiv. That trip takes 14 hours, but it’s not so bad because it’s in a sleeper car.

2 months ago | thequeerfaceofwar.substack.com | J. Lester Feder

The New York Times published my essay this morning about Russian persecution of queer Ukrainians, in which I argue LGBTQ persecution should be treated as a crime against humanity. It is slated to be the cover story of the print edition of Sunday Opinion. This comes from reporting I did in Ukraine last fall and in the several months since my return.