The increasing electoral success of radical right parties in several European countries has renewed attention to their rhetorical strategies. Particularly noteworthy are female politicians whose rise to party leadership challenges the traditional characterization of radical right parties as Männerparteien. Their success raises important questions about how gendered leadership styles interact with the ideological core of radical right populism, especially on post-materialist issues, such as gender and LGBTIQ+ rights. Traditionally, the “strongman persona” - built around notions of virility, heteronormativity, and authority - has been central to the radical right’s political identity and communication strategy. However, the emergence of female leaders challenges these traditional assumptions within this party family. Indeed, do female radical right leaders reproduce, adapt, or challenge the rhetorical patterns established by their male predecessors on issues of sexual and gender diversity?
Thus, the present proposal investigates how radical right populist women leaders - Marine Le Pen, Giorgia Meloni, and Alice Weidel - frame LGBTIQ+ rights in their political discourse. Drawing on a qualitative and interpretive frame analysis of a selection of public speeches by the three leaders, the study explores the intersections between gender, populism, and nationalism, while assessing the extent to which homonationalism provides a useful lens for interpretation. The speeches were examined using qualitative content analysis informed by the broader framework of framing theory.
Indeed, the preliminary findings suggest significant variation: Alice Weidel exemplifies homonationalist discourse, mobilizing LGBTIQ+ rights rhetorically as a marker of Western identity and as a tool to oppose immigration and Islam, while substantively opposing policy changes in favor of LGBTIQ+ equality. Marine Le Pen adopts a more ambivalent stance, strategically invoking secular and republican values to distance herself from overtly homophobic traditions of the far right, yet without fully embracing LGBTIQ+ equality. By contrast, Giorgia Meloni relies primarily on conservative and religious frames centered on the defense of the “natural family”, leaving little room for homonationalist narratives. The comparison highlights how the instrumentalization of LGBTIQ+ rights is not a uniform feature of radical right female-led populism in Europe, but rather a selective strategy shaped by national contexts and political opportunity structures.
