Gay Rights Research Articles

The role of activists’ sexual orientation and gender identity in their participation in LGBT movements: a case study from Yunnan, China

The role played by activists’ sexual orientation and gender identity in their involvement and commitment to LGBT movements is an understudied area in the Chinese context. Using identity and dramaturgical theory, this qualitative study explored how activists’ work and commitment toward promoting LGBT rights and services is shaped and influenced by their identities. The study draws on data from life history interviews conducted with 20 long-time LGBT activists in Yunnan, China. The findings indicate that their sexual orientation and gender identities were, in the long run, seen as assets by the activists that shaped their work and commitment in the LGBT movement. Despite initial challenges in establishing identity-based connections with co-workers/clients, the emergence of sense of inclusiveness through recognition of activists’ efforts, particularly when working with diverse gender and sexual minorities, stands out as a prominent theme in this context. This dynamic is important in bolstering the longevity of activists’ commitment and building the continued momentum of LGBT movements in the region and internationally.

Assimilationism, Sexual Nationalism, and the Backlash Against Gender and Sexuality

Fifteen years ago my co-authors and I wrote an article discussing the politics of sexual nationalism in the Netherlands (Mepschen at al., 2010). We argued that gay and lesbian emancipation had come to center almost solely on the political idea of the “integration” of alleged sexual and religious others into the Dutch moral community. We pointed out that the Dutch case was exemplary of wider European developments. In various European countries we have witnessed complex transformations in the relationship between the nation and the question of sexual democracy (Fassin, 2012). Lesbian and gay rights and discourses have been weaponized to frame Western Europe as the “avatar of both freedom and modernity” (Butler 2008, 2) and depict its Muslim citizens and others with a migration background as backwards and homophobic. In the words of the queer theorist Jasbir Puar (2007), who coined the term ‘homonationalism,’ gay rights have been recast as an “optic, and an operative technology” in the production and disciplining of Muslim Others (See also Rahman 2014.) Cases of homophobia among Muslim and migrant citizens are highlighted, treated as archetypal, and cast within Orientalist narratives that underwrite the superiority of European secular modernity. Homophobia is increasingly represented as peripheral to Western European culture (Mepschen 2017). As I see it, we still live in the same historical moment: the notion of sexual nationalism is more relevant than ever. But at the same time, things are changing. Before we get to that, a short overview of what has been discussed in the last fifteen years.

Transformative reproductive futures in Northern Ireland

A foundation of rights-based solidarity has fostered an environment of cooperation between LGBTQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer) rights and reproductive justice in Northern Ireland (NI) following the introduction of equal marriage and the decriminalization of abortion in 2019. This article provides a grounded look at this reproductive justice organizing in NI as an example of transformative organizing for reproductive futures. The case study considers a conversation with two activists who have been central to this work. Emma Campbell coconvenor of Alliance for Choice and Danielle Roberts the coconvenor of Reclaim the Agenda and former Senior Policy and Development Officer of HERe NI. Reclaim the Agenda is a coalition of feminist, youth, LGBTQ+ and community organizations that connects and mobilizes women to promote feminist activism through education, campaigning and celebration. HERe NI is a community organization and registered charity based in Belfast that supports lesbian and bisexual women and their families across NI. Alliance for Choice campaigns for free, safe legal and local abortion access for everyone who needs it in NI. Together these groups approach reproductive justice using a framework informed by lesbian feminist organizing and an intersectional approach that views access to abortion as part of a broader understanding of gender justice inspired by Black-women led SisterSong through (1) cross-movement organizing (2) centering bodily autonomy and (3) trans affirming feminist approaches to navigating shifting language about gender. The case study will be of interest to those working provide abortion services in a queer-informed way, as well as those navigating the challenges of reforming abortion policy.

"Identity" in the discursive practice of contemporary socio-political movements

The rhetoric of contemporary socio-political movements often formulates its demands and arguments using the word ,,identity”, despite the lack of its clear definition. The article aims to analyze the additional meanings that ,,identity” acquires in the discursive practice of modern socio-political movements such as feminism, the LGBT movement, and environmental activism, as well as to examine the role of ,,identity” in these discourses. Research materials are classic works related to each socio-political movement. As the result the paper claimes that in feminism, the LGBT movement, and environmental activism, the word ,,identity” serves as a tool to attribute importance to aspects previously considered secondary - whether it be women, gender, or biological organisms. The search for the reasons behind such a rhetorical choice implies immersing into the theory of psychologisation of modern society (J. De Vos) and the theory of psychological power (M. Foucault).

“This Is Our Revolution Too”: LGBTQ Rights Activism and the National Question in Northern Ireland

Existing research frames ethnonationalism as homophobic, in which the queer is positioned outside of the boundaries of the ethnic nation. Less well understood is how LGBTQ activism engages with ethnonationalism, particularly in relation to questions of national self-determination. The limited research on this issue frames LGBTQ activist movements as groups that reject divisive ethnonationalisms by forging alternative cosmopolitan and transnational expressions of sexual identity. By exploring a single case-study, Northern Ireland, this article draws attention to how LGBTQ movements can be sites of conflict over questions of national self-determination, particularly when sexual liberation is wedded to anti-imperialist struggles. The paper concludes by reaffirming Horowitz’s model of ethnic seepage, in which the dominant ethnonational cleavages infuse all issues in divided societies. The article uses a wide range of primary data, including interviews and archival documents, to analyze LGBTQ activism in Northern Ireland during the period of ethnonationalist conflict in the 1970s and 1980s.

Navigating Legal Tensions and Cultural Exchanges: Homosexual Rights in Contemporary India

Navigating Legal Tensions and Cultural Exchanges: Homosexual Rights in Contemporary India

Low on the Kinsey scale: Homosexuality in Swedish and Finnish sex research, 1960s–1990s

This article addresses the history of sociological sex research and its reception in Sweden and Finland. It describes the background and implementation of the first study in Sweden in 1967, and how the methodology of this study was adopted in Finland in 1971. Both of these studies were followed up in the 1990s with surveys that documented the changes in sexuality, 1992 in Finland and 1996 in Sweden. As the studies were labelled ‘Kinsey studies’ of their respective countries, the article examines the effect that the work of Alfred Kinsey's research group had on them. In particular, the article pays attention to the role of homosexuality in the studies and their reception, both in the mainstream media and in lesbian and gay organizations’ magazines. The article argues that, even though the studies recognized their position on the continuum of sex research stemming from Kinsey's work, they did not have a similar role in normalizing homosexuality. On the contrary, the studies showed diminishingly small numbers of homosexual respondents, even in the 1990s, when lesbian and gay rights were rapidly developing, and the studies were used to argue against equality and minority rights.

DEDE OETOMO: HIS STRUGGLE AGAINST DISCRIMINATION OF HOMOSEXUALITY FROM 1978 TO 2016

Dede Oetomo, born in 1953, is Indonesia’s first LGBT (currently popular with LGBTQ+) activist. He uses the LGBT organisation GAYa NUSANTARA as a vehicle for LGBT to obtain safe sex education, to gain their emancipation in same-sex marriage, and to struggle anti-social and political discrimination. In this research essay, I will explain Oetomo’s struggle from his childhood to adulthood when he struggled for the LGBT emancipation in Indonesia, a Muslim-majority country. I use qualitative method to conduct the research begun with collecting primary sources like old magazines and photos from the GAYa Nusantara website. The result of the research shows that although Oetomo has had some minor success with his LGBT organisation to gain legal same-sex marriage and abolishing discrimination against LGBT, Oetomo keeps struggling to bring LGBT emancipation acknowledged in the Indonesian law.

How Churches Defend Homosexual Rights in the U.S. in the 1960s

How Churches Defend Homosexual Rights in the U.S. in the 1960s

Monsieur Mosse

Raimo Jääskeläinen, better known as Monsieur Mosse (1932–1992), was a hairdresser, makeup artist, gossip columnist, convicted blackmailer, and Finland’s first out gay male celebrity. The topic of endless articles, befriending and falling out with beauty queens and fashion models, publishing a tell-all memoir elaborating on his taste for luxury, working for straight porn magazines and briefly editing one, Mosse was both the subject and object of popular media and, in his flamboyance, a key domestic celebrity figure of the 1970s and 1980s. Meanwhile, his relationship with the gay rights movement was frictional at best in that his brand was considered “dishonorable” vis-à-vis liberatory politics. Building on media historical inquiry and taking cue from Huw Lemmey and Ben Miller’s (2022) popular argument for studying “bad gays” – historical figures not fitting aspirational and inspirational narratives of queer activism and agency – this article examines Mosse’s trajectory as a celebrity, focusing especially on his 1980s collaborations with the sex press. We argue that Mosse’s particular brand of shameless extravagance and candid gossiping knowingly operationalized “badness” as a vehicle of distinction and visibility in a largely homophobic national context.

Review of “Queer Judaism: LGBT Activism and the Remaking of Jewish Orthodoxy in Israel”

Review of “Queer Judaism: LGBT Activism and the Remaking of Jewish Orthodoxy in Israel”

Audit credibility and LGBTQI rights: certification operation in the margins

PurposeThe aim of this paper is to contribute to knowledge about the diversity of credibility arrangements in new audit spaces “in the margins” of auditing and the implications of such arrangements.Design/methodology/approachThe paper is based on an in-depth qualitative study of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) rights certification run by the Swedish Federation for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and Intersex Rights (RFSL) during its first decade of operation. We have interviewed employees and studied documents at the certification units within the RFSL. We have also interviewed certified organizations.FindingsWe highlight two features that explain the unusual credibility arrangements in this audit practice: the role of beneficiaries in the organizational arrangements chosen and the role of responsibility as an organizing value with consequences for responsibility allocation in this certification. These features make it possible for the RFSL to act as a credible auditor even though it deviates from common arrangements for credible audits.Originality/valueThe RFSL certification is different in several ways. First, the RFSL acts as both a trainer and an auditor. Second, the trainers/auditors at the RFSL have no accreditation to guarantee their credibility. Third, the RFSL decides for itself what standards should apply for the certification and adapts these standards to the operation being audited. Therefore, this case provides a good opportunity to study alternative credibility arrangements in the margins of auditing as well as their justifications.

Gay for pay: homocapitalism and LGBTQ employees in the transnational corporate landscape

Abstract In this forum piece, I utilize Rahul Rao’s concept of “homocapitalism” (2020) as an analytical lens through which to evaluate the corporate support of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) rights. Affinity groups, including those designed to support LGBTQ employees, have become a regular feature of most Fortune 500 companies. These groups seek to represent the interests of particular employee audiences, while also helping the company to advance its profit-driven goals. Drawing on interviews with queer professionals working for multinational technology companies, I signpost the promises and limitations of LGBTQ activism when it becomes (re)located within the context of a corporation.

The Affordance of Visibility in the Social Media Videos of LGBT Nonprofits in Lebanon: (In)Visibilities, Representativity and Socio-Political Engagement

LGBT nonprofit organizations in Lebanon use social media videos to foreground the rights of sexual minorities in a society that institutionalizes homophobia. Employing content and thematic analysis to study twelve of these videos within the Lebanese sociopolitical context, I examine how the organizations enact the online affordance of visibility to transgress local hegemonic discourses and claim representativity and political rights. Engaging in politics online comes with the fear of offline homophobia. Lebanese LGBT nonprofits have therefore adopted strategies to mitigate offline persecution, including the invisibility of individuals within the visibility of the collective. They have also engaged in Pan-Arab activism and relied on local Arabic terms for sexual minorities to create a more nuanced activism for the Arab region than found in transnational LGBT activism. Keywords: LGBT, Lebanon, nonprofits, social media, visibility

East-Central Europe: The Young and The Far-Right

Abstract: Scholars are increasingly concerned that youth political apathy is a risk to liberal democracy. The issue of youth apathy is particularly pronounced in East-Central Europe—a region that has recently experienced sharp democratic decline. Across the EU member states of East-Central Europe, the share of youth that report complete disinterest in politics has doubled in the last decade. This is not an artifact of youth dissatisfaction with their nation's democracy. Rather, it is explained by ideological cross-pressures. East-Central Europe's apathetic youth hold a unique set of values that do not map onto party platforms. Unlike older generations, they are profoundly pro-EU and embrace certain aspects of liberalism, including gay rights. They are also significantly less religious. However, they are increasingly unfriendly toward immigration and multiculturalism. Compared to their politically engaged peers, East-Central Europe's apathetic youth also value democratic governance less. If they were to be politically mobilized, there is little reason to believe they would stabilize liberal democracy.

"We are families too": LGBT experiences and demands for access to Surrogacy in Argentina

Surrogacy (GS) has been established as a means of access to male homoparenting and, despite not being regulated in Argentina, it is negotiated in a "paralegal" scenario. For some time now, LGBT organizations have proposed regulation based on the argument that GS represents the only option available for a male homosexual couple to have a child with a genetic link, albeit with only one of them, and consecutively acknowledge the family ties of both. By means of ethnographic work carried out within the scope of a postgraduate research project, our objective is to ascertain the experiences of male homosexual couples who seek the legitimacy of GS processes and equal access to the healthcare system. With this in mind, we seek a reflection that articulates the construction of public health policies and the claims of sectors of the LGBT movement, focusing on the meanings of the collective experience, on the ways in which these actors organize their family demands, and on the conceptions and practices that articulate these claims with the production of public policies.

TRANSGENDERS’ RIGHTS IN ARGENTINA: REGARDING INDIA


 The transgender community has faced and continues to face discrimination in almost every part of the world. The inception, extent, and duration of such differential treatment coupled with violence may differ across the globe. The reason behind this could be the cultural and constitutional values of the concerned nation along with the traditional position of transgenders in the relevant society. The movement of LGBT community to assert their presence and voice their concerns can be traced in different countries. Argentina can be distinguished as a vanguard in the advancement of inclusive policies, notably with the passage of its Gender Identity Law in 2012, marking it as the inaugural nation worldwide to formally acknowledge an individual’s gender identity without imposing any prerequisites. This article provides a concise overview of the historical trajectory of the LGBT movement in Argentina, followed by an examination of the constitutional and legislative framework established to safeguard the rights of transgender individuals in the country. Subsequently, it delves into the enactment and notable attributes of the Gender Identity Law. It also provides a comparative analysis of transgender law in India vis a vis Argentina and criticises the contrasting approach followed by different States of India. It concludes with the finding that Argentina’s Gender Identity Law is quite progressive from which countries like India can take inspiration.

The impact of party competition on LGBTI+ rights: Evidence from Spanish autonomous regions (1990–2022)

AbstractPolitical competition accelerates the enactment of lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans*, and intersexual rights (LGBTI+) due to the dynamic, rational behavior of mainstream parties across the political aisle to adapt to the sociopolitical environment. We argue that LGBTI+ social movements capitalize on median voter shifts combined with the rising pressure of ideologically close challenger parties to enact legislation. To examine this argument, we employ quantitative event history analysis with a unique dataset with measures for social movement, institutional, political, and sociocultural dimensions across 33 years in Spanish subnational arenas. We find that rising leftist and liberal contenders challenging dominant center‐left and center‐right parties, respectively, widen the opportunity political structure of LGBTI+ organizations. Ultimately, rising political fragmentation in a multiparty, multidimensional party system turns both left and right mainstream parties into allies of LGBTI+ organizations, which propose new legislation, due to political platforms seeking to preserve and enhance their electoral base.Related ArticlesBurnett, Craig M., and Aaron S. King. 2015. “The Personal Politics of Same‐Sex Marriage.” Politics & Policy 43(4): 586–610. https://doi.org/10.1111/polp.12126.Lewis, Gregory B., Marc A. Rogers, and Kenneth Sherrill. 2011. “Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Voters in the 2000 US Presidential Election.” Politics & Policy 39(5): 655–77. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2011.00315.x.Skipworth, Sue Ann, Andrew Garner, and Bryan J. Dettrey. 2010. “Limitations of the Contact Hypothesis: Heterogeneity in the Contact Effect on Attitudes toward Gay Rights.” Politics & Policy 38(5): 887–906. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1747‐1346.2010.00262.x.

Book Review: Queer Judaism: LGBT Activism and the Remaking of Jewish Orthodoxy in Israel by Orit Avishai

Book Review: <i>Queer Judaism: LGBT Activism and the Remaking of Jewish Orthodoxy in Israel</i> by Orit Avishai

Lesbian, Gay, Biseksual Dan Transgender (LGBT) Di Masyarakat Muslim

This research aims to explore further the dynamics of social change in the acceptance of LGBT individuals in Muslim communities. The study falls within the scope of literature review, where all acquired data sources are analyzed in-depth. Previous research findings are also incorporated into this study, supported by books, journals, and other scholarly works related to the topic. The research results indicate that various perceptions emerge in society regarding LGBT behavior. The reasons provided by various parties, including LGBT individuals and activists, contribute to the proliferation of pros and cons among the public. Some oppose LGBT behavior, arguing that it goes against prevailing norms, both religious and cultural. On the other hand, some support LGBT behavior, justifying it as a form of freedom to express one's rights.