I am an award-winning historian of Modern Europe and Associate Professor of History at George Mason University

I focus on the social and political history of twentieth-century Germany and am broadly interested in how everyday life intersects with and shapes the relationships between citizens and states. My research interests include the history of gender and sexuality, legal history, and the history of democracy.

I received my PhD from Stanford University in 2019. Before coming to Stanford, I took my Bachelor's Degree summa cum laude in German and Mathematics at Amherst College, a Master of Science in Applicable Mathematics at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

I am the author or editor of several books, including States of Liberation: Gay Men between Dictatorship and Democracy in Cold War Germany (2022), A Queer Theory of the State (2023), Reimagining Citizenship in Postwar Europe (edited with Rachel Chin, 2025), and, most recently, I Will Not Abandon You: Queer Women in Nazi Germany (2026).

I am currently at work on a new book, tentatively titled Queer: A History of the World.

I happily give interviews about my research, German history, and LGBTQ issues, and I have advised on historical films. I write regularly for public venues including Boston Review, The Point, and Los Angeles Review of Books.