From gender equality champion to anti-gender battleground? The European Parliament and the contestation of gender equality and LGBTQIA+ inclusivity

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Cover of Volume: Culture, Practice & Europeanization Volume 11 (2026), Issue 1
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Culture, Practice & Europeanization

Volume 11 (2026), Issue 1

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Publisher
Nomos, Baden-Baden
Copyright Year
2026
ISSN-Online
2566-7742
ISSN-Print
2566-7742

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Open Access Full access

Volume 11 (2026), Issue 1

From gender equality champion to anti-gender battleground? The European Parliament and the contestation of gender equality and LGBTQIA+ inclusivity

Authors:
ISSN-Print
2566-7742
ISSN-Online
2566-7742
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The European Parliament’s (EP) image as supranational gender equality and LGBTQIA+ inclusivity promoter is challenged by the increase of anti-gender claims and positions. We discuss what specific vulnerabilities and threats the EP’s strong position in these matters currently experiences given the growing number of conservative, radical right and populist parties in the EP. To that end, we rely on the emerging international norm of a gender sensitive parliament. We first extend this norm to comprise both gender equality and LGBTQIA+ inclusivity to meet standards of equality and inclusivity, but especially to acknowledge the fact that anti-gender actors target LGBTQIA+ issues as much as progressive gender issues. Subsequently, we analyze where along the four dimensions of a gender and – in our case – LGBTQIA+ sensitive parliament the EP could be vulnerable to anti-gender strategies exploiting institutional procedures, rules and practices detrimental to its equality and inclusivity commitments. Our findings highlight the fragility of much of the EP’s gender equality and LGBTQIA+ inclusivity acquis, as well as tensions between formal commitments and daily (informal) procedures and practices. We conclude by outlining implications for prospects of gender equal and LGBTQIA+ inclusive futures in the EU in the face of anti-gender contestations.

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