Law and sexual minority rights in the EU: navigating a political minefield

Abstract

This chapter has as its main aim to examine the reasons that lie behind the EU’s ambivalent stance on the recognition and protection of the rights of sexual minorities. In particular, after analysing the protection currently offered to sexual minorities under EU law, the chapter considers how the EU has navigated this political minefield and seeks to identify the main sites of interaction between law and politics when it comes to the recognition, respect and protection of the rights of persons with non-heterosexual sexualities.