Negotiating "Queer“ in the European LGBT/Q Rights Advocacy Scene: A Case Study of IGLYO

The potential tension between being a pan-European umbrella organisation and engaging in queer politics is the starting point of this paper that investigates how IGLYO (International Lesbian Gay Bisexual Transgender Queer Youth and Student Organisation) negotiates queer in the European LGBT/Q rights advocacy scene, especially in the context of European institutions. My interpretations are informed by aspects of Queer theory and social movement theories. The qualitative case study follows a multi-method design and is based on empirical material that consists of a focus group interview, semi-structured individual interviews with representatives of IGLYO member organisations and participant observation at IGLYO’s General Assembly 2013. The study finds that IGLYO undertakes various balancing acts in order to negotiate queer within the cultural and financial constraints of European institutions. The contradictory political impulses within the organisation gave way to various strategic compromises such as “doing it all” by combining identity politics with queer approach.