Queer Migration in Catholic Countries of Central and Eastern Europe: An Unexplored Topic - JACEK PRUSAK (Autor); Siniša Zrinščak (Autor); HALINA GRZYMAŁA-MOSZCZYŃSKA (Autor); Milda Ališauskiene (Autor) (2025)
10.3390/rel16070881
https://www.mdpi.com/2077-1444/16/7/881
Oryginalny artykuł naukowy
This paper explores the under-researched phenomenon of queer migration in Croatia, Lithuania, and Poland—three post-communist, Catholic-majority countries. Drawing on existing studies in the literature and empirical data, it examines how prevailing social conservatism—shaped by the influence of Catholicism and the distinct developmental trajectories of these countries—is reflected in research on queer migration. Although limited, the current body of knowledge confirms that concerns over LGBTQIA+ rights are a factor motivating emigration. The three examples illustrate how queer migration must be analyzed within the complex interplay between Europeanization and liberalization, and the backlash against these processes. This backlash, prominently supported by the Catholic Church, includes resistance to gender equality and LGBTQIA+ rights. By critically engaging with existing research, the paper underscores the need for future studies—particularly those investigating the gap between legal protections and prevailing social attitudes toward LGBTQIA+ individuals, the relationship between human rights backlashes and queer migration, the intersections between spatial context and personal biographies, and the connection between the queer migration and recent immigration waves in these countries.
Keywords: psychologia; psychologia