‘Normalized’ Pride? Pride parade participants in six European countries

Abstract

Based on quantitative survey data collected during Pride parades in six European countries -the Czech Republic, Great Britain, Italy, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Switzerland -we analyse who participates in Pride parades. Engaging with the socalled protest normalization thesis we ask: are Pride parade participants, aside from sexual orientation, representative of the wider populace? In none of the countries could we find indications that Pride participants mirror the general populations. The parades remain dominated by well-educated, middle strata youth, rich in political resources. However, we find variation between countries, which we link to differences in elite and public support for LGBT rights. KeywordsLGBT movements, normalization of demonstrations, Pride parades, protest participation, protest survey Pride parades are today staged in numerous countries and localities, providing the most visible manifestation of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) movements and politics. Pride parades, we argue, are foundational rituals for LGBT movements across the globe; as such they act as collective responses to oppression, encourage redefinition of self, and express collective identity (Engel,

Mind, Body and Boundaries: Self-Presentation on the Nordic LGBTQ Online Dating Scene

“…This sort of co-construction is key in understanding if and in what way people are represented and how they self-present. In the Nordic context, here exemplified by the Swedish conditions, the public opinion is in general supportive of sexual minorities (Peterson et al, 2018). To a varying degree, all political parties in the Swedish parliament embrace LGBTQ rights, as does the Swedish military (Sundevall and Persson, 2016;Svensson, 2016;Carlson-Rainer, 2017).…”

“…Heteronormativity is however, still strong and well in Sweden and the social control continues to question non-heterosexuals normality (Magnusson, 2011;Timofejevs-Henriksson, 2011). Public displays of nonheterosexuality, in Swedish Pride parades, over-represent young, highly educated and politically left oriented people (Peterson et al, 2018). Mental health problems and suicide risks are more pronounced among Swedish non-heterosexuals compared to heterosexuals (Björkenstam et al, 2016).…”

Pride amid Prejudice: The Influence of LGBT+ Rights Activism in a Socially Conservative Society

“…Ross (2008, 257) states that, in Italy, "there must be a significant shift in opinion and perspective on the part of the mainstream population so that being recognized as 'normal' does not require a flattening, invisibilization and normalization of the rich and diverse characteristics of LGBT+ living and loving." A cross-national study on Pride in six European countries supports some of these notions, in that Prides do not "reflect the diversity within the general population" because participants were on average privileged in political resources (Peterson, Wahlström, andWennerhag 2018, 1163). Thus, Prides may ignore the intersectional nature of the cause, and the very essence of the Gay Liberation Movements that initiated Pride (Weeks 2015), by privileging gender, race, and class majorities.…”

Do gender regimes matter? Gender differences in involvement in anti-austerity protests - a comparison of Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom

“…It is certainly very clear that scholarship on anti-austerity protests has helped to bring about a resurgence of grievance theories (Della Porta, 2015; Kern, Marien, & Hooghe, 2015). Peterson, Wahlström, and Wennerhag (2018) additionally found that women disproportionately self-identify as part of a discriminated category which might also motivate them to participate in protests with marginalised and discriminated groups.…”

“…Dalton,1996;Schussman and Soule, 2005;Klandermans et al, 2014;Saunders, 2014). Biographical aspects concern age, employment and education which are related to available time, monetary and knowledge resources (McAdam, 1986;Peterson et al, 2018). Structural resources refer to being in the right place at the right time to hear about protest and are therefore related to inclusion in physical or online networks.…”