Rainbow Trap reveals how the fight for LGBTQ equalities in the UK is shaped �" and constrained �" by the classifications we encounter every day.
Looking across six systems �" the police and the recording of hate crimes; dating apps and digital desire; outness in the film and television industry; borders and LGBTQ asylum seekers; health and fitness activities; and DEI initiatives in the workplace �" Rainbow Trap documents how inclusive interventions �" such as new legislation, revamped diversity policies and tech fixes �" have attempted to bring historically marginalized communities out of the shadows.
Yet, as part of the bargain, LGBTQ people need to locate themselves in an ever-growing list of classifications, categories and labels to ‘make sense’ to the very systems they are seeking to access. This requirement to be classified catches LGBTQ communities in a rainbow trap. Because when we look beyond the welcoming veneer of inclusive interventions, we uncover sorting processes that determine what LGBTQ lives are valued and what queer futures are possible.
