Policy Promotion or Community Care: Explaining the dual activities of LGBTQ+ interest groups

Organizations promoting and advocating for equal rights for LGBTQ+ people have a crucial dual role. On the one hand, they need to be politically active, advocating and promoting equality policies. On the other hand, these organizations also fulfil a crucial caretaker-role in LGBTQ+ communities, as they provide healthcare services, safe spaces, suicide prevention services and helplines, and organize leisure activities. While existing social movement and interest group literature acknowledges this dual role, there is still a gap in understanding the daily operations of these organizations, especially across diverse political landscapes. This article addresses this gap by investigating the contextual and organizational factors shaping the political and community-oriented activities of 294 LGBTQ+ organizations across Europe. Using a unique dataset, the study examines to what extent national political contexts and organizational structures affects groups’ focus on political or community-oriented activities. The findings reveal that LGBTQ+ organizations tend to be less politically active in the face of governmental repression, shifting their focus towards community-oriented initiatives. These results contribute to the understanding of how LGBTQ+ organizations might adapt their strategies in response to varying political environments.