The Politics of LGBTQ Rights Expansion in Latin America and the Caribbean

Analyzes the role of religion, politics and social movements in relation to LGBTQ rights in Latin America and the Caribbean.

Javier Corrales (Author)

9781108995207, Cambridge University Press

Paperback / softback, published 7 April 2022

75 pages
22.8 x 15.2 x 0.4 cm, 0.119 kg

'… this book does a great job of summarizing the broad trends and direction of travel for LGBTQ rights in the region for researchers and students interested in gender and sexuality in Latin America.' Nina van der Mark, International Affairs

The first section of this Element reviews the history of LGBTQ rights in the region since the 1960s. The second section reviews explanations for the expansion of rights and setbacks, especially since the mid 2000s. Explanations are organized according to three themes: (1) the (re-)emergence of a religious cleavage; (2) the role of political institutions such as presidential leadership, political parties, federalism, courts, and transnational forces; and (3) the role of social movement strategies, and especially, unity. The last section compares the progress on LGBTQ rights (significant) with reproductive rights (insignificant). This Element concludes with an overview of the causes and possible future direction of the current backlash against LGBTQ rights.

1. What the LGBTQ Movement Is Up Against
2. Conservative Dictatorships, Macho Marxists, and Uninterested Secularists: The 1960s and 1970s
3. Democracy, Economic Crisis, and AIDS: mid-1980s to early 2000s
4. The Rights Explosion of the 2000s
5. The Rise of the Trans Movement
6. Explanations
7. LGBTQ Rights v. Abortion Rights
8. The Current Backlash, Late 2010s to the Present
9. Conclusion.

Subject Areas: Hispanic & Latino studies [JFSL4], Gay & Lesbian studies [JFSK], Social groups [JFS]