In this paper, we look at recent development with regards to Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) rights in Croatia and analyse the extent to which the issue has become a symbolic proxy for attitudes towards the EU. We use the referendum in December 2013 that sought to constitutionally define marriage as ‘matrimony between a woman and a man’ as a case study. We first analyse the societal grievances and cleavages used to mobilise by both pro- and anti-referendum groups. We then analyse the results of the referendum using data from recent electoral, referendum, and census data at the municipal level. We find that municipalities that showed higher levels of EU support were more likely to vote against this anti-LGBT referendum. These differences are correlated with a number of underlying socio-demographic differences, showing that both LGBT and EU support remain complex and divisive issues in Croatia.
