\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tLGBTQ voters keep up the pressure from Thailand to Slovenia<\/p>\n
\u00a0
\nA drag queen raising a placard saying \u201cGay Rights\u201d in Bucharest Pride, with the Romanian Palace of Parliament seen behind. (Claudiu Popescu photo from Outright International\u2019s report \u201cQueering Democracy: The Global Elections in 2024 and How LGBTIQ People Fared\u201d)<\/p>\n
In recognition of May 17\u2019s International Day Against Homophobia, Biphobia, Intersexphobia, and Transphobia (IDAHOBIT), Venus Aves, lead author of LGBTQ rights advocacy group Outright International\u2019s upcoming global report on elections, shares examples of queer resistance as well as election-related queerphobia since January 2026.
\nFighting hate on the ballot: Queer resistance in elections in 2026
\nBy Venus Aves<\/p>\n
In 2024, hate was on the ballot in around\u00a085 percent\u00a0of countries that held elections, as captured in Outright\u2019s\u00a0Queering Democracy, the most comprehensive global report to date on lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, and queer (LGBTIQ) people\u2019s participation in elections. In the \u201csuper election year,\u201d politicians engaged in anti-LGBTIQ campaigning in 51 of the 61 jurisdictions examined in the report: from presidential candidates outdoing each other\u2019s commitment to pass an anti-LGBTQ law in\u00a0Ghana\u00a0to the Republican Party spending US$200 million on anti-trans campaign ads in the\u00a0U.S.
\nThis year, around 55 countries are sending their citizens to the ballot box. While researching electoral developments for the follow-up report to Queering Democracy (to be released in early 2027), I came across more examples of political queerphobia, barely four months into 2026. To name a few:<\/p>\n
Leading up to the general election in\u00a0Uganda\u00a0in January, ruling party members\u00a0accused electoral opponents\u00a0of \u201cpromoting homosexuality,\u201d a charge that can result in\u00a020 years\u00a0in prison.
\nA far-right presidential candidate in\u00a0Peru\u00a0made a\u00a0homophobic rape threat\u00a0against the election chief in a bid to overturn the results. Another presidential candidate was constantly\u00a0questioned about his alleged homosexuality\u2014unnecessary scrutiny that nevertheless led him to defend people\u2019s right to \u201clive your sexuality however you want.\u201d
\nAhead of the state election in\u00a0Saxony-Anhalt, Germany\u00a0in September, the far-right party AfD unveiled its\u00a0most extremist platform\u00a0yet, vowing to eradicate \u201cgender ideology\u201d and the \u201crainbow doctrine\u201d by abolishing gender studies programs, gender quotas, gender-responsive budgeting, and comprehensive sexuality education, among others. AfD is currently\u00a0leading the polls\u00a0with a wide margin.
\nAhead of the\u00a0U.S.\u00a0midterm general election in November, Republican Party members are putting\u00a0anti-trans measures\u00a0on the ballot in at least four states, targeting gender-affirming care and trans participation in sports.<\/p>\n
The full list is long and likely to grow but so is the list of stories of queer resistance for democracy in 2026:<\/p>\n
Winning Political Representation<\/p>\n
India\u00a0and\u00a0Nepal\u00a0elected their first openly trans lawmakers. While South Asian societies have traditionally embraced some forms of gender diversity, these wins are a significant feat at a time when anti-trans actors are making progress toward\u00a0reversing\u00a0or\u00a0undermining\u00a0hard-won rights.
\nClaudia L\u00f3pez was the first queer mayor of Colombia and is the first queer presidential candidate.
\nColombia\u00a0saw its\u00a0first openly lesbian presidential candidate\u00a0when Claudia L\u00f3pez qualified as an independent candidate, pledging to rely on grassroots citizen support rather than big-party donors. L\u00f3pez was also the country\u2019s first openly queer mayor and the first woman to hold that position in the capital city of Bogot\u00e1. While she is not currently favored according to the\u00a0polls, her candidacy is in itself significant in a country that recently saw its number of elected queer officials\u00a0reduced.<\/p>\n
Mobilizing Voters in Hostile Contexts<\/p>\n
Hungarian\u00a0voters came out in record numbers in April to\u00a0boot out Viktor Orb\u00e1n\u00a0ten months after the historic 2025 Pride march, the country\u2019s largest demonstration to date. For trans activist Marina E. S\u00e1enz, the people \u201cstopped Orb\u00e1n\u201d during that Pride march, emphasizing the catalyzing power of the event.
\nIn\u00a0Uganda, where same-sex intimacy is prohibited and \u201caggravated homosexuality\u201d is a capital crime since 2024, Let\u2019s Walk Uganda Executive Director\u00a0Edward Mutebi\u00a0told a media outlet that \u201cfear of backlash limited visibility and direct participation throughout the election cycle.\u201d However, amid a campaign period marked by queerphobic rhetoric, Let\u2019s Walk Uganda is engaging with the electoral process by organizing informal voter education, community discussions, and training for trans youth on electoral safety.
\nIn\u00a0Kenya, queer groups, led by the Initiative for Equality and Non-Discrimination (INEND) and galck+, launched\u00a0a voter mobilization\u00a0campaign in March ahead of general elections scheduled to be held in 2027. The groups\u2019 Queering the Ballot Campaign aims to promote the full inclusion of LGBTIQ Kenyans in democracy, with a strategy informed by a\u00a02024 study\u00a0on political participation of sexual gender minorities in 14 of the 47 local governments in Kenya and\u00a0lessons\u00a0from the first Queering the Ballot Campaign during the 2022 elections.
\nIn countries where the far right is gaining ground, queer activists are also mobilizing to meet the challenge.
\nFrance\u00a0is heading into a consequential 2027 presidential election, with the far-right party National Rally currently\u00a0leading in polls. Ahead of the vote, queer advocates\u00a0engaged with candidates\u00a0during the March 2026 municipal elections through advocacy letters and a guide on queer-friendly policy measures at the municipal lever, seeking to secure concrete commitments on equality.
\nIn\u00a0Bavaria, Germany,\u00a0queerphobic hate incidents and support for the far-right party AfD are both\u00a0on the rise. Organizers are responding by\u00a0promoting the visibility\u00a0of queer candidates in the March 2026 local elections.
\nIn Peru, where this year\u2019s elections have seen a\u00a0surge\u00a0in far-right candidacies, the Victory Institute\u00a0trained over 300 queer activists\u00a0as part of a long-term strategy for political representation. Some of the institute\u2019s alumni are now on the ballot.
\n See Also<\/p>\n
Putting Equality on the Ballot<\/p>\n
A year after marriage equality became the law in\u00a0Thailand, trans and queer groups are shifting the conversation to legal gender recognition. This made its way to the\u00a0campaign platform\u00a0of the People\u2019s Party, the country\u2019s largest opposition party. The party pledged to \u201callow transgender individuals to choose their preferred title\u201d as \u201ctraditional titles\u201d like \u201cMr.,\u201d \u201cMrs.,\u201d and \u201cMs.\u201d no longer \u201caccurately reflect the reality of individuals with diverse gender identities.\u201d Thai ID cards and passports\u00a0indicate titles or prefixes\u00a0based on a person\u2019s age and assigned sex at birth. While the proposal\u00a0falls short\u00a0of rights-based gender recognition it is an important step toward full recognition.<\/p>\n
Monitoring Hate<\/p>\n
In\u00a0Brazil, a democracy grappling with high levels of\u00a0political violence, the civil society organization VoteLGBT is monitoring reports of violence or threats against queer candidates through\u00a0Sentinela, an online tool launched in 2024 to receive such reports and strengthen the evidence base against gendered political violence. The platform also directs survivors to free psychological support. Sentinela also facilitates access to justice, as a cooperation agreement with the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship (MDHC) allows for the direct referral of cases. The October presidential election pits the incumbent Luiz In\u00e1cio Lula de Silva against Senator Fl\u00e1vio Bolsonaro, son of the imprisoned former president Jair Bolsonaro. Fl\u00e1vio Bolsonaro has actively\u00a0courted the evangelical\u00a0vote and has a record of\u00a0fearmongering\u00a0around \u201cgender ideology\u201d; in this context, the Sentinela tool is certain to play a critical role.<\/p>\n
Queer Resistance at the Heart of Democracy<\/p>\n
These stories of queer resistance are a reminder that queer people continue to believe in the promise of democracy, even as it comes under threat worldwide. While anti-democratic regression affects everyone, minorities bear the brunt.
\nDespite the diversity of their strategies, politicians across the political spectrum weaponize hate in both liberal democracies and authoritarian regimes. Some falsely portray queer identities as foreign to exploit nationalist sentiments, while others act tough on \u201cgender ideology\u201d to attract Western anti-gender actors\u2019 support. Some resort to queerphobia to bolster their credentials as defenders of \u201ctraditional values,\u201d and others scapegoat sexual and gender minorities to distract from the real problems that they refuse to address.
\nThey all send one message: sexual and gender minorities do not belong in the body politic. Queer people are not full and equal citizens, but fair game as targets to win votes.
\nLGBTIQ people are an important bellwether of democratic backsliding. Being among the first casualties of authoritarian repression gives queer people insight and experience in fighting back. Everyone concerned about the future of democracy must recognize that fighting queerphobia lies at the heart of our shared democratic struggle. As the\u00a0Slovenian\u00a0queer group Ljubljana Pride Association said in a\u00a0campaign\u00a0ahead of the March 2026 parliamentary elections:<\/p>\n
The LGBTIQ+ community is part of democracy\u2013and our vote counts\u2026The human rights of LGBTIQ+ people are not a marginal issue. They are a question of democracy. When they attack the rights of trans people, when they restrict the freedom of assembly, when they spread hate speech\u2013they are not attacking just one community. They are attacking the foundations of democracy.<\/p>\n
If you have information on LGBTIQ people\u2019s participation and queer-related campaigning in elections in 2026, please reach out to Venus Aves at vaves@outright.org. They are currently drafting their global report on the 2026 elections, to be released in early 2027.<\/p>\n\n LGBTQ voters keep up the pressure from Thailand to Slovenia \u00a0 A drag queen raising a placard saying \u201cGay Rights\u201d in Bucharest Pride, with the Romanian Palace of Parliament seen behind. (Claudiu Popescu photo from Outright International\u2019s report \u201cQueering Democracy: The Global Elections in 2024 and How LGBTIQ People Fared\u201d) In recognition of May 17\u2019s …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":1129,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_3659155457675267_172535249438148":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1128","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","","category-news"],"featured_image_urls":{"full":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Fighting-hate-on-the-ballot-Queer-resistance-in-elections-in.jpg",932,1168,false],"thumbnail":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Fighting-hate-on-the-ballot-Queer-resistance-in-elections-in-150x150.jpg",150,150,true],"medium":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Fighting-hate-on-the-ballot-Queer-resistance-in-elections-in-239x300.jpg",239,300,true],"medium_large":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Fighting-hate-on-the-ballot-Queer-resistance-in-elections-in-768x962.jpg",618,774,true],"large":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Fighting-hate-on-the-ballot-Queer-resistance-in-elections-in-817x1024.jpg",618,775,true],"1536x1536":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Fighting-hate-on-the-ballot-Queer-resistance-in-elections-in.jpg",932,1168,false],"2048x2048":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Fighting-hate-on-the-ballot-Queer-resistance-in-elections-in.jpg",932,1168,false],"tie-small":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Fighting-hate-on-the-ballot-Queer-resistance-in-elections-in-110x75.jpg",110,75,true],"tie-medium":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Fighting-hate-on-the-ballot-Queer-resistance-in-elections-in-310x165.jpg",310,165,true],"tie-large":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Fighting-hate-on-the-ballot-Queer-resistance-in-elections-in-310x205.jpg",310,205,true],"slider":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Fighting-hate-on-the-ballot-Queer-resistance-in-elections-in-660x330.jpg",660,330,true],"big-slider":["https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/Fighting-hate-on-the-ballot-Queer-resistance-in-elections-in-932x525.jpg",932,525,true]},"author_info":{"info":["Editor"]},"category_info":"News<\/a>","tag_info":"News","comment_count":"0","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1128","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1128"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1128\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1129"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1128"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1128"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/xavieradioug.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1128"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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