The Politics of Trauma: How Poland and Hungary Use National Trauma to Marginalize the LGBT+ Community

The governments of Poland and Hungary, under the parties Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (Law and Justice) and Fidesz (Alliance of Young Democrats), respectively, have deliberately worked to create a legal, political, and social space that deeply marginalizes the LGBT+ community. Such policies, which have had noticeable impacts on the acceptance of the community in their populations, are unprecedented in the European Union in their reach and viciousness. Prior scholars on the topic have focused on these countries\u27 social institutions, or the demagogic politics of party leaders. In this paper I analyze the constructivist concept of “national trauma” to explore the cultural and social development of anti-LGBT+ sentiment on a national and community level, and specifically the efforts of both governments to develop a “trauma narrative” and a resultant fiercely emotional and highly exclusive nationalist solidarity. These “politics of trauma” are instrumental in understanding the development of post-colonial nation-building and identity politics, especially those that precipitate intense discrimination and violence