The Queer Face of War heads to press!
After a long, challenging period, I’m happy to share that the book version of The Queer Face of War will soon be going to press with the photo book publisher Verlag Kettler. It will be available in the EU in October and in the U.S. in early 2026, distributed by one of the country’s largest art book distributors. I’ll have more details on the launch soon, including plans for exhibits, book talks, and more.
It’s incredible to see this work come together in a collection and to share the stories of Ukraine’s queer community with the wider world. There have been many challenges in bringing the book across the finish line—and honestly, there were moments when I worried it might not happen. Challenges still lie ahead: institutions where I had hoped to exhibit the work are facing financial crises due to Trump-era cuts, which also led to my layoff from CUNY’s Gender Justice and Human Rights Clinic.
From the book’s back cover: The stories of Ukraine’s queer movement remain urgent and inspiring at a time when Ukraine continues to fight bravely for its independence and queer people around the world are fighting for their rights. The Queer Face of War tells the story of how Russia developed a strategy—since adopted by authoritarian leaders around the world—of attacking queer people to undermine fundamental principles of democracy and human rights. It also celebrates how LGBTQ+ Ukrainians fought back, mobilizing as part of the pro-democracy movement, fighting for their rights while defending their country. Today I’m excited to share the book’s cover, which features a portrait of Oleksii Polukhin. You can pre-order the book in the EU here; more information on U.S. orders will be available soon.
National Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists Recognizes The Queer Face of War with an Excellence in Journalism Award
Last weekend NLGJA: The Association of LGBTQ+ Journalists awarded an Excellence in Journalism Award for an essay adapted from The Queer Face of War and published in The New York Times last year.
The piece told the story of Oleksii Polukhin, a survivor of queer persecution by Russian forces, and argued that targeting queer people in armed conflict should be prosecuted as a crime against humanity. NLGJA recognized the essay for excellence in opinion writing.
Read the full essay here.
NYT Opinion Cover Essay: Putin Is Showing Us What Homophobia Looks Like as a Weapon of War
The case for treating queer persecution as a crime against humanity in The New York Times:
Oleksii Polukhin’s 64 days in detention began when Russian soldiers stopped him at a checkpoint. They found that he’d been gathering information about Russian military positions to share with Ukrainian forces; they also discovered he was gay.
One of the guards called him an anti-gay slur and forcing him to strip naked on the street.
Read the full essay here.
Rolling Stone: Gay Couple Struggles to Stay Together as War in Ukraine Rages On
Russian bombs brought Stepan and Maxim together. Now Russian bombs have driven them apart.
The men, now both in their early thirties, were living almost 20 miles apart in the eastern Ukrainian region called the Donbas, where Russian-backed separatists went to war in 2014. They likely would not have met if not for a bomb that exploded in Maxim’s yard, blowing all the windows out of the house he shared with his parents.
Teen Vogue: Trans People Leaving Ukraine Face Danger and Transphobia. This Organization Is a Safe Haven.
At the beginning of the war, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky issued an order forbidding men ages 18 to 60 from leaving Ukraine and ordering them to register for military service.
While many LGBTQ people did so enthusiastically, some gay men and trans people don’t feel serving is an option. Like many straight people, those without military experience worry they will be forced to put their lives in danger without being able to contribute to the fight. Some queer people worry about homophobia and transphobia in the Ukrainian military.
Some said they were afraid of being singled out if captured, given President Vladimir Putin’s crusade against LGBTQ rights.
Politico: How Russia’s War Against Ukraine Is Advancing LGBTQ Rights
The Queer Face of War in Politico Magazine.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said repeatedly that he attacked Ukraine last year partly to protect “traditional values” against the West’s “false values” that are “contrary to human nature” — code for LGBTQ people. Perhaps he hoped this would rally conservative Ukrainians to Russia’s side — it’s a tactic Kremlin allies have tried repeatedly over the past decade. But this time, it instead appears to be convincing a growing number of Ukrainians to support equality and reject the values Putin espouses.
