I am conducting my Doctoral Research part time whilst working full time within the corporate global mobility and HR sector.
Expatriating love: migrating gay and lesbian expat couples, the global mobility industry and their role in shaping same-sex marriage recognition in East Asia.
Supervisors: Dr Sophie Cranston and Dr Sarah Barnard
Currently 32 countries worldwide legally perform and recognise same-sex marriages but only one is in Asia – Taiwan. As multinational corporates relocate employees to the East Asia region, gay and lesbian expatriates are requesting to migrate with their same-sex spouses on assignment, and for that to happen, their marriages to be recognised by the destination jurisdiction and be facilitated by the global mobility industry.
Ben's research aims to understand the calls for same-sex marriage recognition in the East Asia region and what role are the expatriation of gay and lesbians individuals and the global mobility industry play in countries recognising same-sex marriage and potentially achieving marriage equality. Ben’s thesis will also questions what influence (if any) is the migration of expatriates is having on the wider progress of LGBT+ rights across the geographical region