Invisible to the state. Institutional sexual stigma and collective action of LGB individuals in five East European countries

Abstract

As demonstrated in past research, institutional sexual stigma negativly affects the well-being of nonheteronormative individuals. In this contribution we investigate the effects that heterosexist legal regulations exert on collective action of LGB (lesbian, gay, and bisexual) people. Building on different theoretical traditions, we propose a model linking institutional sexual stigma (a macrolevel phenomenon) to individual behaviour (a microlevel phenomenon). To verify our assumptions we use data from a cross-cultural study ( N = 1,365) conducted in five East European countries (i.e., Croatia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, and Poland) differing in the extent to which they grant full civil rights to sexual minorities. In line with our hypotheses we find that, by promoting internalized homophobia and subsequently undermining in-group identification, institutional sexual stigma suppresses collective action of LGB individuals. As weak LGB activism impedes social change towards more progressive legislation, a vicious circle is set in motion.