On February 6, the BMW Center for German and European Studies hosted Professor Phillip Ayoub from University College London for a timely discussion on the global resistance to LGBTI rights. The lecture, based on his award-winning book “The Global Fight Against LGBTI Rights: How Transnational Conservative Networks Target Sexual and Gender Minorities,” explored how conservative movements have mobilized internationally to challenge advances in LGBTI rights.
Professor Ayoub, whose research bridges international relations and comparative politics, brings extensive expertise in transnational politics and sexuality and gender studies. His work particularly focuses on how marginalized groups mobilize internationally and how visibility influences socio-legal change across states.
During his presentation, Ayoub introduced the compelling concept of the “double helix” model to explain the reciprocal relationship between competing transnational advocacy networks. “They conform to spiral models of human rights diffusion but in a process reconceived as a double helix,” he explained, highlighting how both pro-LGBTI rights groups and moral conservative movements utilize similar transnational tools and channels, though for opposing purposes.
The lecture revealed how opposition to LGBTI rights has evolved into a sophisticated transnational movement. Ayoub demonstrated this through the striking parallel between two conferences focused on the importance of family, where both sides invoke “family values” but to drastically different ends – one advocating for protecting queer families and children, the other presenting LGBTI people as a threat to traditional families.
During the Q&A session, students engaged with several crucial aspects of this global dynamic. Questions focused on whether conservative movements had successfully reversed existing LGBTI rights, how these narratives penetrate different cultural circles, and whether the intensity of these movements has increased over time. Particularly interesting was the discussion of how, even in countries with seemingly progressive gay rights, anti-trans sentiment has gained significant traction.
A key takeaway from the conversation with Professor Ayoub was how LGBTI movements have adapted their strategies in response to opposition, developing more nationally-rooted, family-focused, and even religious language in their activism. This strategic evolution demonstrates the complex interplay between global advocacy networks and local contexts in the ongoing struggle for LGBTI rights.
The event underscored how the same channels that facilitated LGBTI rights advancement can be activated by opposition groups, highlighting the continuing challenges facing LGBTI rights advocates in an increasingly interconnected world.
