David Paternotte

LGBT Activism and the Making of Europe

Europe has long been regarded as a unique place for the promotion and furthering of LGBT rights. This important and compelling study investigates the alleged uniqueness and its ties to a relatively long history of LGBT and queer movements in the region. Contributors argue that LGBT movements were inspired by specific ideas about European democratic values and a responsibility towards human rights, and that they sought to realize these on the ground through activism, often crossing borders to foster a wider movement. In making this argument, they discuss the ‘idea of Europe’ as it relates to LGBT rights, the history of European LGBT movements, the role of European institutions in adopting LGBT policies, and the construction of European ‘others’ in this process.

The NGOization of LGBT activism: ILGA-Europe and the Treaty of Amsterdam

ABSTRACT This article discusses the Europeanization of social movement organizations using the case of ILGA-Europe, the umbrella of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender organizations in Europe. It examines the impact of Article 13 of the Treaty of Amsterdam, which bans discrimination on the grounds of sexual orientation, and focuses on three entrenched dynamics ILGA-Europe has rapidly undergone: NGOization, institutionalization, and professionalization. It argues that although we should be aware of the role of the European political opportunity structure in shaping civil society organizations, we cannot overlook internal organizational dynamics and movement identities. Following the literature on the Europeanization of social movements, this piece confirms institutional opportunities and interactions with European institutions are a major cause of transformation: The adoption of Article 13 and the development of a European equal opportunity policy constitute a pivotal moment in ILGA-Europe’s history, endowing it with easier access to EU institutions and core funding. This allowed the organization to NGOize, contributed to a transformation of its internal structures, and led to the appointment of highly skilled professionals. However, this article also insists on the importance of movement identity. These transformations are not solely the result of interactions with the European institutional environment, but had been prepared by long-term orientations within ILGA, that is a preference for reformist claims and institutional strategies. ILGA-Europe’s NGOization is thus not only a response to institutional and political changes, but also results from specific ways of imagining activism. It is the interaction between movement identity and arising institutional opportunities that allowed the organization to transform.

A Paradise for LGBT Rights? The Paradox of Belgium

How is it that a small country such as Belgium, with its reputation of relative conservatism, has jumped to the forefront of LGBT-friendly nations when it comes to the extension of rights to, and implementation of government policies for, its LGBT population? The analysis offered here focuses on a combination of six causes: the impact of wider secularization processes; the political history and culture of the country; the organization of especially the Flemish LGBT movement and reasons for its political effectiveness; mainstream social trends in national scapegoating hierarchies; the overall media environment; and the window of opportunity opened by the political landslide of 1999.

The International (Lesbian and) Gay Association and the question of pedophilia: Tracking the demise of gay liberation ideals

In 1993–1994, the International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) lost its observer status in the United Nations Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) because US conservative groups publicised the membership of two pedophile groups. This article examines debates on pedophilia within ILGA before this event, and documents the slow decline of pro-pedophilia stances. It relates them to wider debates on gay liberation, and argues that pro-pedophilia arguments lost most of their appeal when new ways of imagining homosexual emancipation and new political goals emerged. Beyond the issue of intergenerational sex, it shows these debates were also about the kind of movement activists wanted to build together.

Matrimonio “homosexual” y ciudadanía: la hipótesis de la resignificación

En este articulo, se trata de las relaciones entre “matrimonio gay” y acceso a la ciudadania. Si admitimos que los/as homosexuales han constituido historicamente un grupo minorizado, la demanda de apertura del matrimonio desvela una paradoja que debe ser cuestionada: la institucion que era considerada como uno de los pilares de la opresion se convierte en objetivo de lucha y, sobre todo, un medio potencial de acceso a la ciudadania. Se intenta aqui profundizar en la naturaleza del modelo de inclusion que podria fundar esta demanda. Frente a los limites de las parrillas analiticas existentes, se presenta la hipotesis de un nuevo modelo de inclusion, que se podria, a partir de Judith Butler, calificar de inclusion a traves de la resignificacion. Sin embargo, con la ayuda de ejemplos extraidos del estudio de otros grupos sociales, se concluye destacando su fragilidad, que esta ligada a su caracter perpetuamente abierto.

Pedophilia, Homosexuality and Gay and Lesbian Activism

Pedophilia is undoubtedly one of the main contemporary sexual taboos and a broadly condemned form of sexual activity. Sexual scandals involving minors lead to massive public uproar and laws against child sexual abuse have been strengthened worldwide. However, by examining the past, a more complex picture surrounding this phenomenon is unveiled. Although pedophilia has never been widely encouraged or accepted, the societal taboo was definitively less pervasive in recent history.