United We Stand? The Feminist and LGBT+ Advocacy Coalitions in the European Union

The feminist movement has not always been united, as fundamental ideological controversies have historically fragmented it into different strands. In the face of growing transnational anti-gender mobilizations, the incentives to overcome dividing lines and collaborate have become pivotal in the struggle for gender equality and sexual and reproductive rights. Focusing on the European Union (EU), this study investigates the potential synergies between two movements commonly targeted by anti-gender forces, namely the feminist and LGBT+ ones. It builds upon previous research that has identified advocacy “triangles”, which were instrumental for these movements to advance their policies at the EU level during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Since then, these triangles have expanded into complex, multi-stakeholder networks that have however remained underexplored. Using the Advocacy Coalition Framework, we examine the advocacy coalitions that feminist and LGBT+ triangles have transformed into. Our study begins by analyzing the type of beliefs uniting or dividing these progressive actors in coalitions. Unlike existing studies that have considered feminist and LGBT+ mobilizations in isolation from each other, we assess whether and to what extent their beliefs overlap. We then explore how shared beliefs might drive collaborative initiatives across coalitions, enabling feminist and LGBT+ advocates to pool (and, in turn, broaden) their resources to counter anti-gender forces. This analysis is particularly relevant in light of recent disputes on specific policy issues such as surrogate motherhood and transgender rights, which have sparked internal and cross-coalitional tensions. Ultimately, evaluating the belief similarity and collaborative interaction between the feminist and LGBT+ coalitions is essential for assessing their collective capacity to safeguard gender equality and sexual and reproductive rights in the EU.