When States Come Out

What is it about?

In the last two decades, the LGBT movement has gained momentum that is arguably unprecedented in speed and suddenness when compared to other human rights movements. This book investigates the recent history of this transnational movement in Europe, focusing on the diffusion of the norms it champions and the overarching question of why, despite similar international pressures, the trajectories of socio-legal recognition for LGBT minorities are so different across states. The book makes the case that a politics of visibility has engendered the interactions between movements and states that empower marginalized people - mobilizing actors to demand change, influencing the spread of new legal standards, and weaving new ideas into the fabrics of societies. It documents how this process of 'coming out' empowers marginalized social groups by moving them to the center of political debate and public recognition and making it possible for them to obtain rights to which they have due claim.

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Why is it important?

Tells a compelling story through rich description of activists' experiences, based on over two years of on-site fieldwork The cross-national focus of the book takes us much further than case studies Sheds light on the processes behind the adoption of and resistance to LGBT rights norms in various domestic contexts Read more at http://www.cambridge.org/us/academic/subjects/politics-international-relations/european-government-politics-and-policy/when-states-come-out-europes-sexual-minorities-and-politics-visibility#3QwXUikec3T65ZqC.99