Justin Bengry is Director of the Centre for Queer History at Goldsmiths, University of London where he designed and leads the world’s first MA in Queer History. Originally from Canada, he studied there before moving to the US to complete a PhD in History and Feminist Studies at the University of California. His research investigates relationships between homosexuality and capitalism, but his work also addresses current policy surrounding the UK’s ‘gay pardons’ and he has extensive public history experience. Bengry’s work with Historic England that sought to record, preserve and celebrate the places of queer history in England was featured widely in the national and international press including the Guardian and New York Times. He regularly comments in the media on issues of queer history and the history of gender and sexuality and has been a historical adviser for the National Gallery and the Queer Britain museum and for television programmes that have aired on the BBC and Channel 4.
Bengry co-founded the international history of sexuality blog ‘NOTCHES: (re)marks on the history of sexuality’, a leading voice in this dynamic field, cited by leading scholars, republished in the Huffington Post, Slate, the Boston Globe and translated for republication internationally.
An authority in his field, he wrote the chapter, ‘Can and should we queer the past?’ for What is History, Now? edited by Helen Carr and Suzannah Lipscomb.
He is working on his first trade book, a global queer history titled History is Queer.
