Authoritarians weaponize LGBT+ rights to undermine pluralism and cement their rule. But some democratic governments are beginning to target these rights as well. Can democracy still protect and advance LGBT+ rights? In the newest issue of the Journal of Democracy, Kristopher Velasco, Siddhartha Baral, and Yun (Nancy) Tang argue that LGBT+ rights should be seen as evidence of liberal democracy, instead of resulting from it.
The Journal of Democracy essays below, free for a limited time, demonstrate how LGBT+ rights have been both expanded and resisted around the world, and offer ideas for how democracies can defend them.
Is Democracy Bad for LGBT+ Rights?
LGBT+ rights are under threat across the globe. Populist leaders stirring fear and animosity for political gain understand how democratic institutions can be harnessed and manipulated to curtail these rights, not enshrine them.
Kristopher Velasco, Siddhartha Baral, and Yun (Nancy) TangThe Global Resistance to LGBTIQ Rights
Autocrats have found a new way to turn citizens against liberal democracy: convincing them that LGBTIQ rights, granted and protected in much of the West, pose a threat to their nation and its values.
Phillip Ayoub and Kristina StoecklWhy Autocracies Fear LGBTQ+ Rights
The battle over rights for sexual minorities has divided countries into opposing camps. But autocrats are lashing out with one aim: countering the liberal international order.
Gino Pauselli and María-José UrzúaGay Rights: Why Democracy Matters
The year 2013 featured unprecedented strides for gay rights in some parts of the world, particularly in Western Europe and the Americas, but also startling setbacks elsewhere, as in Russia and some countries in Africa.
Omar G. EncarnaciónLatin America’s Gay-Rights Revolution
Even before Argentina’s landmark gay-marriage law was passed in July 2010, a gay-rights revolution was well underway across Latin America. But do gay rights by law equal acceptance of gays in practice?
Omar G. Encarnación
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