The Militarization of Queer Sexuality: Is Sexuality an Assemblage of National Security Regimes?

This paper challenges conventional security studies by examining how queer sexuality has been embedded within national security regimes as both a perceived threat and an intelligence asset. Drawing on critical security studies, biopolitics, and assemblage theory, it argues that sexuality functions as a dynamic assemblage that enables state power through surveillance, regulation, and strategic exploitation. Using Cold War case studies from the United States and East Germany, the paper demonstrates that the securitization of queer sexuality transcended ideological divides. It further extends the analysis to contemporary Israeli pinkwashing and intelligence practices, showing that sexuality remains operationalized within modern security frameworks. The paper concludes that as long as states rely on heteronormative identity and stigmatization, queer sexuality will continue to be militarized within national security apparatuses.