Queer Migration and the Performance of Crime and Illegality

In this article, I focus on how activism and art disrupt the necessity of queer migrants having to perform the role of the “good,” law-abiding migrant who desires inclusion into the nation. More specifically, I analyze how performing crime and illegality challenges the necessity of queer migrants who claim asylum adhering to stereotypes of vulnerability so as to be seen as deserving of legal status. First, I examine the #Rockumenta activism by LGBTQIA+ Refugees Welcome to understand how queer migrants engage with criminality to avoid being silenced. Next, I explore the photography series I Am Illegal by an anonymous artist to understand how queer migrants challenge the designation of illegality by immigration regimes. Instead of trying to prove anything to the viewer about queer migrants, I suggest both activist and artistic interventions shift the focus toward the inherent violence of immigration regimes.