Anti-gender backlash in Hungary: A feminist analysis of populist anti-LGBTQI+ legislation during the Coronavirus pandemic
Author
Molnár, Vivien
Term
4. term
Publication year
2022
Submitted on
2022-04-19
Pages
66
Abstract
Background: Across much of the Global North, there is a visible backlash against gender and so-called gender ideology, challenging both ongoing and already achieved rights for women and LGBTQI+ people. When anti-gender actors hold political power, rights can be rolled back. In Hungary, the Fidesz–KDNP government used its large parliamentary majority and emergency powers during the coronavirus pandemic to introduce measures that targeted the rights of queer and trans people. Objective: This thesis examines four legislative measures aimed at the LGBTQI+ community in Hungary, including a ban on legal gender recognition for trans and intersex people, restrictions that bar queer people from adoption, and rules that exclude queer and trans identities from media and schools. It investigates links to anti-gender sentiment and analyses how appeals to protecting children are used to justify these measures. Theoretical framework: The anti-gender backlash is viewed through the lens of populism, which often frames politics as the people versus the elite. Insights from queer and gender theory (post-structuralist approaches that see gender and identity as socially constructed and fluid) help map different strands of the movement. Standpoint theory and feminist objectivity inform a reflexive approach that acknowledges the author’s personal stake in the topic. Method: Carol Bacchi’s WPR (What’s the Problem Represented to be?) approach is used to critically analyse how the laws construct the problems they claim to solve. A literature review of recent research on Hungary’s anti-gender backlash is also included. Findings: The thesis argues that the Fidesz–KDNP government deliberately brought anti-gender rhetoric into national politics to advance its agenda. Initially used to challenge EU gender equality and women’s rights policies, the term anti-gender was broadened by around 2020 to encompass loosely connected issues. By framing restrictions on LGBTQI+ rights as child protection, the government diverted attention from criticism of its pandemic response.
Baggrund: I store dele af det globale nord ses et markant tilbageslag mod køn og den såkaldte gender-ideologi, som udfordrer både igangværende og allerede opnåede rettigheder for kvinder og LGBTQI+-personer. Når sådanne anti-gender kræfter har politisk magt, kan rettigheder rulles tilbage. I Ungarn brugte Fidesz-KDNP-regeringen sin store parlamentsmajoritet og nødrettigheder under coronapandemien til at indføre tiltag, der målrettet begrænsede queer- og transpersoners rettigheder. Formål: Afhandlingen analyserer fire lovtiltag rettet mod LGBTQI+-miljøet i Ungarn, herunder forbud mod juridisk kønsanerkendelse for trans- og interkønnede, begrænsninger i adoption for queer-personer samt forbud mod at fremstille queer og trans identiteter i medier og skoler. Analysen undersøger forbindelserne til anti-gender holdninger og ser nærmere på, hvordan begrebet beskyttelse af børn bruges som begrundelse. Teoretisk ramme: Anti-gender tilbageslaget forstås gennem populisme, som ofte sætter folket op mod eliten. Indsigter fra queer- og kønsteori (med et poststrukturalistisk syn på køn og identitet som sociale og foranderlige) bruges til at belyse bevægelsens forskellige grene. Ståstedsteori og feministisk objektivitet guider en reflekterende forskningspraksis, der anerkender forfatterens personlige engagement i emnet. Metode: Carol Bacchis WPR-tilgang (What’s the Problem Represented to be?) anvendes til kritisk at afdække, hvordan de analyserede love fremstiller det problem, de hævder at løse. Der indgår desuden et litteraturreview af nyere forskning om anti-gender tilbageslaget i Ungarn. Resultater: Afhandlingen argumenterer for, at Fidesz-KDNP bevidst importerede anti-gender retorik for at fremme sin politiske dagsorden. Oprindeligt blev den brugt til at udfordre EU-tiltag om ligestilling og kvinders rettigheder, men omkring 2020 blev den udvidet til at omfatte løst forbundne emner. Ved at indramme indskrænkninger af LGBTQI+-rettigheder som beskyttelse af børn flyttede regeringen opmærksomheden væk fra kritik af håndteringen af pandemien.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
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