Defending LGBTQ+ Interests in Conflicted Arenas: Scope, Strategies and Effects

Recent events have highlighted that the realization of equal rights for LGBTQ+ people is still a conflicted issue in the European Union (EU). Although the EU sees itself as a beacon for LGBTQ+ rights, some of its member states actively resist the proliferation of LGBTQ+ rights. This conflicted political environment poses a challenge for LGBTQ+ interest groups: those groups that are promoting and defending equal rights for LGBTQ+ people on a daily basis. Even though they fulfill an imperative role in the emancipation of LGBTQ+ people, relatively little is known about these organizations. Using both quantitative and qualitative methods, this research aims to 1) map the population, or scope, of LGBTQ+ interest groups active in the EU and its member states, 2) understand the motivations behind strategic choices of these interest groups, and 3) explain the effects of member states’ political contexts on the strategies of LGBTQ+ interest groups. It aims to determine to what extent domestic political contexts affects the groups’ lobbying and coalition-building efforts.