The anticipatory politics of homophobia: explaining constitutional bans on same-sex marriage in post-communist Europe

Mos, M. (2020)

Article / Letter to editor

As the number of European countries that recognise same-sex unions increases, so does the number of countries that resists this institution. This trend runs counter to the conventional wisdom, which links anti-LGBTI policies to domestic demands and developments. Instead, this paper argues that political homophobia needs to be situated within an international context. Using the Slovak case as a plausibility probe, the article shows that the bans on same-sex marriage were adopted as a precautionary measure: worried by the growing support for LGBTI rights elsewhere in Europe, conservative lawmakers feared that their traditional family values would come under threat.

• All authors: Mos, M.
• Date: 2020-02-29
• Journal: East European Politics
• Volume: 36
• Issue: 3
• Pages: 395 - 416
• DOI: doi:10.1080/21599165.2020.1733983