As we celebrate LGBT History Month, it is important to reflect on the progress that has been made in advancing LGBT rights, as well as the challenges that remain. Coming in by Koen Slootmaeckers offers a critical and insightful examination of these issues, and provides a valuable contribution to our understanding of the intersections of LGBT politics and EU accession. Whether you are a scholar of EU studies, a student of minority rights, or simply someone interested in the ongoing struggle for LGBT equality, this book is must-read.
The EU often viewed as a key catalyst for reforms in candidate member states bring new policies to protect the rights of, amongst other, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) people. However, the extent to which this process can bring more than legal change and improve the lived experiences of LGBT people in candidate countries is a far complex question.
Many saw the appointment of Ana Brnabić, Serbia’s openly Lesbian Prime Minster, as a sign of progress for Serbia – often comparing it to the violence that accompanied the 2010 Pride parade. Yet, since her appointment little has been done to improve LGBT rights. In fact, some Ministers tried to introduce rules and guidelines to prevent LGBT people from accessing fertility treatments and in 2022, the government tried to ban EuroPride.
In my new book, Coming in: Sexual politics and EU accession in Serbia, I study the interrelation between LGBT politics and EU accession in Serbia, aiming to offer a nuanced examination of the impact of the EU on LGBT rights in the country, both on rights and the lived experiences of LGBT people.
I argue that the changes Serbia has made in regard to LGBT rights in most recent years (securing safety of Pride Parades since 2014, and the appointment of Ana Brnabić) is nothing more than a “PR stunt”, or form of “tactical Europeanisation” – as I called it. It constitutes an act of double speech, where the Serbian government uses these changes to present the EU with evidence that they are making progress with regards to LGBT rights, but domestically, they are ramping up their nationalist agenda and subtly hollow out their reforms, so they create little improvement for LGBT people’s lived experiences.
Through its focus on the EU accession process and LGBT rights in Serbia, the book does not only seek to contribute to a better understanding of the EU enlargement process (by offering new theoretical tools), of LGBT politics in Europe and the Western Balkans, but it also seeks to tackle some bigger questions with regards to what we consider to be progress. The book and its research have been driven by a constant questioning of what constitutes “progress” in the realm of LGBT rights, and the limits of legal change.
As Sara Ahmed (2017) reminds us, when institutions are obliged to introduce diversity and equality policies, they may often appoint diversity workers to comply with the law and external conditions, but these appointments are often more about keeping up appearances. In similar vein, we should be wary of putting too much emphasis on the legal domain as the area in which progress can be found, as a good legal framework often underestimates and blinds us of the structural and societal barriers to access to justice for LGBT people.
In other words, I argue that the EU accession process can bring about significant changes in the legal and institutional frameworks of candidate countries, but that these changes may not necessarily translate into real-world improvements for the LGBT community. I highlight the importance of considering not only the formal legal changes, but also the broader social, cultural, and political context in which they occur. As Cathy Cohen (1997) argued, we must continually interrogate power, even after ‘progress’ or hard battles are won, and change is achieved. Because, if we do not, ‘progress’ can be as easily reversed.
Coming in raises important questions about what we mean by “progress” in the realm of LGBT rights, and the limitations of legal change in bringing about real-world improvements for marginalized communities.
To summarize, Coming in: Sexual politics and EU accession in Serbia offers a thought-provoking examination of LGBT politics and EU accession in Serbia. With its focus on “tactical Europeanisation” and the limits of legal change, the book offers a unique perspective on the role of the EU in shaping LGBT rights in candidate countries. It serves as a case study for examining the impact of EU accession on minority rights more broadly. In addition, Coming in raises important questions about what we mean by “progress” in the realm of LGBT rights, and the limitations of legal change in bringing about real-world improvements for marginalized communities.
Whether you are a scholar or a student, or simply someone interested in the ongoing struggle for LGBT equality, this book is an essential read.
Koen Slootmaeckers is a Senior Lecturer in International Politics at City, University of London.
His new book, Coming in: Sexual politics and EU accession in Serbia, is available now.