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Anti-LGBT rhetoric

Anti-LGBT rhetoric comprises themes, catchphrases, and slogans that have been used in order to demean lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. They range from the demeaning and the pejorative to expressions of hostility towards homosexuality which are based on religious, medical, or moral grounds. It is widely considered a form of hate speech,[1] which is illegal in countries such as the Netherlands,[2] Norway,[3] and Sweden.[4]

This article is about themes, catchphrases, and slogans used against LGBT people. For organized opposition, see LGBT rights opposition.

Anti-LGBT rhetoric often consists of moral panic and conspiracy theories. In Eastern Europe, these conspiracy theories are based on earlier antisemitic conspiracy theories and posit that the LGBT movement is an instrument of foreign control and domination.[5][6][7]

As a foreign conspiracy[edit]

In 1969, the Greek junta exited the Council of Europe after being found in violation of the European Convention of Human Rights, judging that the European Commission of Human Rights was "a conspiracy of homosexuals and communists against Hellenic values".[8]


This discourse, promoted by the governments of Hungary and Poland, alleges that LGBT rights movements are controlled by foreign forces (such as the European Union) and are a threat to national independence and western civilization.[9][10][11][12] Anti-government protests in Russia and the Euromaidan have also been portrayed by the Russian government as the work of an LGBT conspiracy.[12] Furthermore, although Russia considers itself to be a European country, its government also considers its values as entirely different from those commonly seen within the European Union. More specifically, Russia used to protest against the common European Values in support of LGBT rights, however rather than complaining about these values, Russia has now chosen to openly express their own values, which are entirely against any support for LGBT rights.[13]

In 1977, Anita Bryant successfully campaigned to repeal an ordinance in that prohibited discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation. Her campaign was based upon allegations of homosexual recruitment.[145] Writing about Bryant's efforts to repeal a Florida anti-discrimination law in the Journal of Social History, Michel Boucai wrote that "Bryant's organization, Save Our Children, framed the law as an endorsement of immorality and a license for 'recruitment'."[152]

Miami-Dade County

Oregon's proposed 1992 contained language that would have added anti-LGBT rhetoric to the state Constitution. U.S. writer Judith Reisman justified her support for the measure, citing "a clear avenue for the recruitment of children" by gays and lesbians.[153]

Ballot Measure 9

A attracted international attention in 2010 when it outed 100 gay people alongside a banner that said, "Hang them", and claimed that homosexuals aimed to "recruit" Ugandan children, and that schools had "been penetrated by gay activists to recruit kids."[51] According to gay rights activists, many Ugandans were attacked afterward as a result of their real or perceived sexual orientation.[154] Minorities activist David Kato, who was outed in the article and a co-plaintiff in the lawsuit against the paper, was subsequently murdered at home by an intruder[155] and an international outcry resulted.[156][157]

small newspaper in Uganda's capital

In 1998, parodied the idea of "homosexual recruitment" in an article titled "'98 Homosexual-Recruitment Drive Nearing Goal", saying "Spokespersons for the National Gay & Lesbian Recruitment Task Force announced Monday that more than 288,000 straights have been converted to homosexuality since January 1, 1998, putting the group well on pace to reach its goal of 350,000 conversions by the end of the year."[158][159] According to Mimi Marinucci, most US adults who support gay rights would recognize the story as satire due to unrealistic details.[158] The Westboro Baptist Church passed along the story as fact,[160][161] citing it as evidence of a gay conspiracy.[162]

The Onion

Legality and censorship[edit]

Hate speech against LGBT people, or incitement to hatred against them, is criminalized in some countries.[208]