Conducting LGBTQIA2S+ Research In a Shifting Sociopolitical Climate: Cross–Career Stage Perspectives

Purpose: LGBTQIA2S+ research in social work is increasingly shaped by a shifting sociopolitical climate marked by policy changes, institutional pressures, and heightened scrutiny of diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. These conditions influence not only what topics are studied, but also how research is designed, funded, reviewed, and disseminated. This roundtable convenes scholars across career stages to examine how these shifts are affecting LGBTQIA2S+ research and to identify strategies for conducting ethical, rigorous, and community-engaged work under conditions of constraint.

Framing: This session centers tensions across LGBTQIA2S+ research in social work, including constraints on language and framing, evolving institutional and funding landscapes, challenges to participant trust and safety, and adaptations in research design and dissemination. Rather than focusing on a single project or method, the roundtable brings together multiple perspectives to examine how sociopolitical conditions are reshaping knowledge production in real time. Participants represent multiple career stages, including undergraduate, doctoral, early-career, and senior scholars, allowing for examination of how these dynamics are experienced differently across the research pipeline.

Structure: The roundtable will begin with brief framing remarks from the facilitator outlining key sociopolitical shifts affecting LGBTQIA2S+ research with implications for social work scholarship and practice. Participants will then offer short reflections (3–5 minutes each) grounded in their perspectives and experiences across career stages. The first presenter, an associate professor, will share their perspective as a member of a NIH study section and strategies for navigating changing priorities to federal funding. The second presenter, a new assistant professor, will share their perspectives on recently navigating the academic job market and their first year on the tenure track. The third presenter, a doctoral candidate, will share their perspective on approaching research with trans and queer communities through Ethics of Care. The fourth presenter, a BSW student and McNair scholar, will share his perspectives on early exposure to research in the current milieu and emerging understandings of risk and possibility. The majority of the session will be dedicated to facilitated discussion with attendees, focusing on shared challenges, adaptive strategies, resource sharing, community, and unresolved questions.

Relevance to Social Work:
This roundtable addresses urgent questions about how to sustain ethical, equity-oriented LGBTQIA2S+ research in social work under changing sociopolitical conditions. Discussion will generate insights relevant to research design, training and mentorship, community engagement, and policy navigation. By centering dialogue across career stages, this session highlights how constraints and possibilities are distributed unevenly across the research pipeline and identifies opportunities for collective response. The goal is to support researchers, practitioners, and educators in advancing rigorous and socially just scholarship in an evolving landscape.