Pride is a Protest

How the Shift to Right-Wing Politics is Threatening the Rights of the LGBTQ+ Community

By Elizabeth Gillen

As pride month celebrations begin globally this June, we must remember that the security of the community is fraught under the current political climate. Despite having enjoyed an increased recognition in rights, thanks to the post material thesis, we must release this can be reversed just as quickly. 

The Reverse Post-Material Thesis

During this pride month, it’s important to remember that pride is a protest that has existed to fight against systemic oppression of LGBTQ+ people. We can understand the history of this by exploring the concept of the post material thesis. The post-material thesis is a socio-economic theory in which affluent country's values will shift from purely economic ‘material’ needs, such as security and job comfort, to more ‘post-material’ needs, for example self-expression and liberty. This correlates with the rise in recognition of LGBTQ+ rights in developed countries, such as marriage rights. However, the reverse post-material thesis argues against this. As people in these societies begin to feel threatened by rapid social change, they often revert to their materialist values. This leads to increased support in populist, right-wing politics with an anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment and a nationalist ethos. This theory has tracked with the current shift we are witnessing in an ‘anti-woke’ culture that labels LGBTQ+ rights as threats to ‘traditional family values’. So, where can we witness the reverse post-material thesis in action? The three countries of the UK, the USA, and Hungary show different examples of the degradation of LGBTQ+ rights. 

Culture Wars in the UK

The UK is increasingly facing a shift in ‘anti-woke’ sentiment, following the long ruling of the conservative party and the rise in support for the Reform Party. According to King's College London, 1 in 7 British people identify as ‘anti-woke’, with 45% of people considering it an insult. A recent Supreme Court ruling has threatened transgender rights by declaring that a woman is defined by biological sex. This now means that transgender women are not legally recognised as women, even if they hold a Gender Recognition Certificate. British transgender activists now fear, as a consequence of this ruling, that access to single-sex spaces such as refuges or hospitals will be denied to transgender people. With the aforementioned rise in support for the reform party, whose policies include the banning ‘transgender ideology’ in schools, there are increasing worries for the future of transgender rights. Especially for young people who are at an increasing risk of suicide and mental health issues, and when they are not able to receive proper gender-affirming care. This ruling led to the UK dropping to its lowest-ever position on the international International Lesbian Gay Association (ILGA) rankings, which is ranked on categories such as equality, gender recognition, and asylum. This is a clear cut example of the reverse post-material thesis in action, a stark fall from the times when the UK used to rank first. A clear sign of a backward movement in LGBTQ+ rights, especially for transgender people.

Trump Presidency

The UK is not the only country seeing an increase in anti-transgender sentiment. The election of Donald Trump in the USA in 2016 and his reelection in 2024 have led to a wild increase in the number of LGBTQ+-threatening policies. One major issue has been the closure of HIV programs and health centres that have supported programs that include transgender people. There have also been a number of policies that mandate the ‘outing’ of transgender children to parents, leading to increasing safety risks for vulnerable transgender children. Even more extreme, Trump warns he may consider outright banning all gender-affirming care for minors. This bill could lead to increased gender dysphoria and suffering for affected children, as gender affirming care has been proven to be beneficial for mental health. This reversal of provision of life-saving healthcare shows that the USA is stepping backwards in its social liberty, a common feature of the reverse post material thesis. 

One change that is particularly relevant in Pride month is the recent ban on consular posts from flying any flag apart from the US flag. This targets the flying of the pride flag during Pride Month at foreign embassies, a common occurrence before the ban. This change may seem small compared to other recent events, but in actuality, it reflects a wider shift in sentiment towards pride celebrations and their freedom of expression. These new policies, and many more, have led to a presidency defined by denying transgender people their rights and threatening their safety further. 

Hungary’s Anti-LGBTQ+ Laws

Similar to the USA, Hungary has also suffered from many anti LGBTQ+ bills in recent years. In 2021, the Hungarian centre-right ruling party of Fidesz passed a bill that banned LGBTQ+ people from appearing in any scholastic material or TV shows for under-18s. They cite their reason for this being that they wish to avoid the ‘confusion of the children’s developing moral values’. This could also prevent corporations from running adverts in Hungary that could potentially be targeted toward minors. Amnesty International Hungary says this change could have a detrimental effect on the confidence and mental health of LGBTQ+ children in Hungary. Many bookshops have already been fined for stocking age-appropriate books that feature same-sex couples. Following this ban, there has been further development in anti-LGBTQ+ laws in Hungary. During this march, a new law was enacted that prohibited public acts that displayed ‘divergence from self-identity corresponding to sex at birth, sex change or homosexuality'. Effectively, this will put a stop to any public pride events during Pride Month. The UN human rights spokesperson claims that this clearly denies people their right to expression and peaceful assembly, especially considering the fact that the law allows for the use of surveillance measures to fine any participants. However, the people organising Budapest Pride are determined that it will go ahead,having participated in this pride protest for over 20 years,  and are using the hashtag #LetPrideMarch to demand that Hungarian authorities allow it to go ahead. Again, this strong reversal in rights shows that Hungarian society is shifting towards more conservative values that threaten the free expression of LGBTQ+ events. 

Conclusion

As we can see from these three different examples, this Pride Month will be marked by a difficult period of history where LGBTQ+ people are facing an uncertain future, where their very rights are being brought into question. Homophobia and transphobia are increasing, and people are suffering from the increase of conservative politics which seem determined to refuse queer people the right to self-expression, or even the right to celebrate peacefully during Pride Month. So, as pride celebrations start to roll out around the world this June, we must remember that the first pride was not a march, it was a protest - and it will continue to be as long as LGBTQ+ rights are under threat. 

Sources: Science Direct, Human Rights Watch, Conservative Party, Reform Party, King's College London, BBC, Context News, Gender GP, The Guardian, NBC, Washington School of Public Health, Fidesz party, Amnesty International, Europarl, United Nations Human Rights Office Of The High Commissioner, NCRP.

By Elizabeth Gillen

Edited by Roos Hoogesteger & Karla Kohlhaas