The International Politics of Homophobia: Explaining Same-Sex Marriage Bans

• In Event: Political Homophobia or Backlash? Populist Responses to LGBT Rights and Activism

Abstract

As the number of European countries that recognize same-sex unions increases, so does the number of countries that resists this institution. This conservative trend runs counter to the conventional wisdom. It cannot be linked to an identifiable demand from the general public or specific interest groups. The bans also did not constitute a backlash to the expansion of LGBTI rights at home. Instead, this paper argues that political homophobia needs to be situated within an international context. The bans on same-sex marriage were adopted as a precautionary measure and in response to international developments. Worried by the growing support for LGBTI rights in other European countries and within supranational institutions, conservative lawmakers feared that their traditional family values would come under threat. They responded to this foreign threat by blocking the constitutional path toward same-sex marriage. To demonstrate the argument, the paper provides a detailed analysis of the Slovak case. The Christian Democratic Movement’s worries that same-sex marriage would follow inevitably from membership of the European Union ultimately resulted in a constitutional ban in 2014. While the literature on LGBTI rights has largely focused on success stories, this article instead sheds light on the growing resistance to these rights.

Author

• Martijn Mos, Leiden University