HEAL Research Webinar: Queering the Support for Trafficked Persons – LGBTQ Communities and Human Trafficking in the Heartland

We discussed “Queering the Support for Trafficked Persons: LGBTQ Communitities and Human Trafficking in the Heartland” with Dr. Corinne Schwarz from Oklahoma State University.

Schwarz and her colleagues conducted a study of service provider approaches to services for survivors of human trafficking. Through a mixed methods approach, they found that “linear” service models were not a good fit for all survivors of trafficking. Instead, they found methods of “queering” prevention and support for survivors were more survivor-centered. Furthermore, their work concluded that prevention was cheaper, more cost effective, and more ethical than reactive responses to trafficking.

About the Presenter

Dr. Corinne Schwarz is an Assistant Professor of Gender, Women’s, and Sexuality Studies at Oklahoma State University. She received her Ph.D. with honors in Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies from the University of Kansas in May 2018. Dr. Schwarz’s current research explores the role of service providers within larger anti-trafficking mechanisms, as well as their mobilization of particular ideologies of incarceration, punishment, and justice.

Her research has been supported by the National Science Foundation. She has also been published in an interdisciplinary range of journals, including Health and Human Rights Journal, Feminist Formations, and Affilia: Journal of Women and Social Work. Outside of work, Dr. Schwarz enjoys baking, weightlifting, and spending time with her cats, Jasper and Dot.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.17645/si.v3i1.172