LEAP Summit on LGBTQ Economics

On 13 and 14 May 2026, academics from across the Asia Pacific will convene at the University of Melbourne to advance research and policy on LGBTQ populations for the LGBTQ+ Economists and Allies in Asia-Pacific (LEAP) Summit.

The two day Summit will be held preceding IDAHOBIT Week (International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia and Transphobia), timed to intensify public attention on advancing LGBTQ+ equity in workplaces, markets and society.

The Summit will host a range of international speakers who will discuss inclusive research and policy interventions, presenting a range of social and economic policy levers for addressing discrimination and stigma, while identifying research gaps caused by barriers to quality data.

Led by Dr Karinna Saxby and Associate Professor Jan Kabátek, this event is supported by the Faculty of Business and Economics and underscores its mission for empowering change makers who are guided by social purpose to address contemporary challenges.

“LGBTQ+ economics is still a relatively small field in this region, and researchers working in this space can sometimes feel isolated — particularly in contexts where this work is politically contested. LEAP is about building the connective tissue: a network where people can collaborate, share methods, and support each other to do rigorous work,” Dr Saxby.

Economists have been strong at quantifying the costs of discrimination, such as wage gaps and productivity losses, but this only captures one side of the ledger.

“Discrimination and exclusion impose direct economic costs, but their full scale and the mechanisms behind them cannot be captured by economics alone. The LEAP Summit is deliberately multidisciplinary, convening health researchers, sociologists, demographers and policy practitioners, to identify research gaps and build a cohesive evidence base,” Associate Professor Kabátek[KS1.1].

The Summit will take a future-forward perspective towards understanding what the enabling conditions for full social and economic participation look like for LGBTQ+ people.