Ben Schnitzer is a PhD candidate at Queen’s University and was awarded a Joseph-Armand Bombardier Canada Graduate Scholarship from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) to support his research on Canadian cultural diplomacy and cultural policy. Ben is currently Manager of Policy and Research, 2SLGBTQI+ Secretariat (Government of Canada), and contributed to Canada’s first Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan (2022), which charts a path to advance rights and equality for Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and additional sexually and gender diverse (2SLGBTQI+) people in Canada. Before joining the Secretariat, Ben contributed to federal initiatives impacting the cultural sector as a Senior Policy Analyst at Canadian Heritage. Ben is also a musician. He graduated with a Bachelor of Music (Vocal Performance) from the University of Manitoba and pursued further studies and performance opportunities in Canada and abroad.