Why Europe's Right Embraces Gay Rights

Abstract:Over the last century, there has been a seismic shift in the landscape of LGBTQ+ rights in much of the world—particularly in Western Europe, the Americas, and Australasia. One of the more striking features of this shift has been the embrace of the cause of gay rights and equality by numerous right-of-center political parties in Europe. These right-of-center parties have also been electing gay, lesbian, and bisexual candidates and leaders. Behind this trend seems to be a combination of evolving social values, leadership strategies and choices, and declining religiosity among voters. The evolution of the European right's views on LGBTQ+ rights raises a number of questions: Most important, what has motivated such parties to embrace gay rights—a fundamental change in values, or electoral strategy? Why have some parties on the right resisted the trend and even ratcheted up their attacks on all LGBTQ+ people? And why have rights and protections for transgender people been comprehensively detached from the political right's embrace of lesbian and gay rights?