Pride or Prejudice? The Divergence of Right-Wing Populism between The Hetero and The Homo

Right-wing populism is associated with political positions
discriminative against minority groups. So much so that it
is viewed, ideologically, as a coherent package of beliefs
against minority groups, with the advancement of these
parties a challenge to liberal democracy (Galston, 2018).
However, this presumed coherence deteriorates under
different ideological configurations. Right-wing populism
has seen the emergence of a new generation, with a more
progressive stance on Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and
Transgender (LGBT) rights - whilst still retaining an
oppositional stance toward immigrants & ethnic minorities
(IEM). This phenomenon has been labelled as
'homonationalism' by Puar (2007). Still, little is known
about why some right-wing populists embrace LGBT values
while others continue to discriminate them, whilst all
espouse anti-immigration positions. This project
investigates why homonationalism arises in some
European states but not others, by considering whether
right-wing populists are constrained in their policies by a
shift toward progressive public opinion, and/or whether
right-wing political entrepreneurs use progressive LGBT
policies to justify discrimination towards IEM. Phase one
uses longitudinal data to analyse trends in homonationalist
opinion configurations through multilevel modelling. Phase
two analyses propaganda to measure homonationalist
party positions. Phase three will select case studies for
process tracing, incorporating semi-structured interviews.