The John Parke Young Initiative on the Global Political Economy welcomes Phillip Ayoub, professor of political science at University College London, as part of its Fall 2026 Speaker Series.

Illiberal Times, Inclusive Strategies: What LGBTQ Politics Teach Us About Navigating Crises in Human Rights

Over the past three decades, LGBTQ+ rights advanced at a remarkable pace across diverse regions—at least partly driven by transnational activism, pioneering governments, and evolving human-rights regimes. Yet these gains for equality increasingly face coordinated opposition and retrenchment. Drawing on nearly two decades of research, this lecture offers a periodized account of both dynamics: first, the “revolution in rights,” explaining why so many states adopted LGBTQ+ protections and why public attitudes shifted so quickly; then, the contemporary iteration of the pushback, tracing how religious-nationalist networks and conservative governments—enabled by global illiberal currents like Trumpism—increasingly opened international institutional spaces for counter-mobilization. Building on Ayoub’s work with Kristina Stoeckl, the lecture develops the “double helix” metaphor of norm contestation, demonstrating rival TANs reciprocal relationship in having to navigate each other’s presence and thus using related instruments for mutually exclusive ends.

The lecture then turns to new rejoinders by LGBTQ movements. It examines how activists can maintain their work during illiberal retrenchment by (a) rooting universal rights in local vocabularies, (b) cultivating empathy across divides, (c) chaining messages in electoral contexts, and (d) reframing and widening coalitions through inclusive, celebratory visibility.

Drawing on research (solo and with coauthors) across three regions, Ayoub assesses when and why these repertoires shift credibility, defang threat narratives, and build durable support. Throughout, the talk distils implications for political science: the potentiality in learning from marginalized groups—often siloed by the discipline—that have longstanding experience operating, and resisting, under conditions of crisis.

Speaker Bio

Phillip Ayoub is Professor of International Relations and Director of DEI and of the M.A. Programme in International Public Policy in the Department of Political Science at University College London. From 2018 to 2022, he was Associate Professor of Diplomacy and World Affairs at Occidental College. His research and teaching have received recognition from numerous institutions, including the American Political Science Association and the International Studies Association. His most recent book has received five awards, including the APSA award recognizing research-based projects that advance social justice and address inequality and inequity in society. In 2023, he received an Honorable Mention for the Henrik Enderlein Prize, awarded by the German and French foreign ministries, the Hertie School, and Sciences Po to scholars whose work combines academic excellence with a practical contribution to public debate on Europe’s future.

Ayoub is the author or editor of four books and volumes, including When States Come Out: Europe’s Sexual Minorities and the Politics of Visibility (Cambridge University Press, 2016). His articles have appeared in leading journals, including the American Political Science Review, British Journal of Political Science, Comparative Political Studies, Social Forces, European Journal of International Relations, European Journal of Political Research, Comparative Politics, Mobilization, and Political Research Quarterly. Further information can be found at www.phillipayoub.com.

Co-sponsored by the Department of Gender, Women, & Sexuality Studies and the LGBTQIA+ Community Development Committee.

Free and open to the Occidental community.