Finding Our Joy: Queer Perspectives on HCI Research

Abstract

How do we make space for joy in Queer HCI? This work draws on our authors’ experiences as Queer researchers and allies, navigating a field that is ostensibly receptive to our work, yet provides a narrow framework for acceptable research. We relate personal accounts of contending with identity, practice, and publication; we discuss what joy means to us, and the gap we see in Queer HCI where joy should exist. We believe that Queer HCI and research can itself be subversive, and assert that it needs to be in order for our research community to flourish. Our work emerges from a need for Queer joy in our research practice, and we approach Queerness as a multifaceted experience that by nature resists the categorisation that we often see in HCI. Finally, we present reflective guidelines for future work, that will allow us achieve inclusive, intentional, and joyful research.