James Taylor is pursuing a combined Ph.D. in Italian Studies and Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies (WGSS). Prior to arriving at Yale, James received his bachelor’s degree in French and Italian from Princeton University, earning high honors. James’ undergraduate thesis, titled “‘Coming out’ of Sanremo: La Rappresentazione Queer Nella Musica Italiana,” analyzed lyrics and performance to explore the recurrent tropes and themes that have surrounded LGBT+ representation at the Sanremo Festival in the last 20 years. James’ research considers Italian lyric poetry, music, and popular culture through the lens of Trans Studies, as well as feminist and queer theory more broadly.
At Yale, James is a co-organizer of the Yale Diversity & Italian Studies Working Group. James also helps organize the monthly Queer Italian Pasta event held at the LGBTQ Center, which brings them great joy.