Politicians in at least 51 countries used anti-LGBTQ+ rhetoric during elections, NGO finds

"As the visibility of LGBTQ+ people has risen in many countries in the last decade, so too has a backlash from conservative parts of societies, fuelled in many cases by far-right activists and politicians using gay and transgender people as scapegoats for other problems. There is a growing weaponisation of hate, said Alberto de Belaunde, a director at Outright International, an NGO that promotes LGBTQ+ rights globally."

"LGBTQ+ candidates for office were subject to online hate speech from election opponents and their supporters in El Salvador, Finland, Pakistan and the US, where Sarah McBride was elected as the first transgender member of the House of Representatives. During the 2024 US elections, Republican campaigns spent $200m (147.5m) on anti-transgender adverts on network TV (not including cable TV or streaming), according to data from advert tracking firm AdImpact."

"Politicians in at least 51 countries used homophobic or transphobic rhetoric during elections last year, from depicting LGBTQ+ identity as a foreign threat to condemning gender ideology, according to a new study of 60 countries and the EU. However, there were also gains for LGBTQ+ representation in some countries. Openly gay, bisexual and transgender people ran for office in at least 36 countries, including for the first time in Botswana, Namibia and Romania albeit unsuccessfully according to the report by Outright International. The number of LGBTQ+ elected officials doubled to at least 233 in Brazil."

Politicians in at least 51 countries used homophobic or transphobic rhetoric during recent elections, portraying LGBTQ+ identity as a foreign threat and condemning gender ideology. Openly gay, bisexual and transgender people ran for office in at least 36 countries, including first-time candidacies in Botswana, Namibia and Romania, though those candidacies were unsuccessful. The number of LGBTQ+ elected officials doubled to at least 233 in Brazil. Increased visibility of LGBTQ+ people over the past decade coincided with a backlash from conservative and far-right groups that often scapegoat LGBTQ+ communities, including coordinated, well-funded attempts to diminish rights and visibility.

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