Andy Holmes

I am a sociologist completing my PhD at the University of Toronto, and a visiting Junior Fellow at the Centre for Criminology and Sociolegal Studies. My research generally falls under three areas: policing, the sociology of sexuality, and social movements. In particular, I investigate safety within 2SLGBTQ+ communities, including the complicated history of police relations, identity labels, coming out, and media framing of crime. I am generally motivated by research that investigates how groups mobilize to overcome adversity. My research has been covered by the CBC, Global News, NPR, and The Star, and can be found published in Theory & Society, Socius, Sexualities, Journal of Homosexuality, Culture, Health & Sexuality, Journal of Canadian Studies, and Sociology.

Inspired by research on coming out, identity labels, and sexual fluidity in the realm of psychology, my paper on situational fluidity, co-authored with Amin Ghaziani, extends these topics in sociology. We received the 2026 Distinguished Article Award from the American Sociological Association (ASA) Sexualities section for this contribution.