LGBTQ+ politicians and their influence on the perception of the queer community. Can the election make a difference in this regard?

When politicians "show off", they show courage and authenticity, which can be quite important to voters. Such a move can increase people's trust in a politician, because they see that he or she is willing to be open and face prejudices. In addition, it opens the door for a wider dialogue on LGBTQ+ issues. The media and the public become more interested in the stories of these politicians, raising awareness of LGBT issues and rights. This greater interest can lead to greater acceptance of LGBTQ+ people in society as the public is confronted with stories and experiences they would not otherwise know.

Openly LGBTQ+ politicians can also be role models for young people struggling with their identity. Seeing someone who is (relatively) successful and open about their orientation can be hugely encouraging and inspiring. It can give young people greater self-confidence and a sense of belonging, which is extremely important for their mental health and personal development.

And speaking of Europe, let's take a brief look at some local examples where it was top LGBTQ+ politicians who managed to break through the 'iceberg of resistance' and, through their courage and diligence, helped this community not only in their own country, but in fact across the continent.

Queer Europe

Jóhanna Sigurðardóttir, the world's first openly gay Prime Minister, served as Prime Minister of Iceland from 2009 until 2013, when the country was in the process of being accepted into the EU (which was eventually halted). Her public coming out and subsequent tenure in high political office helped to significantly change the perception of the LGBTQ+ community in Iceland and contributed to positive changes in their rights there. Under her leadership, the Registered Partnership Act was passed in 2010, allowing for full marriage rights.

Xavier Bettel, Prime Minister of Luxembourg between 2013 and 2023, is another prominent example of a politician who has openly come out about his gay orientation, and whose personal story, particularly his marriage to his partner in 2015, has attracted international attention and raised awareness of LGBTQ+ issues not only in Luxembourg but across Europe. It is a pity that this was the period when the migration crisis began and all other issues were temporarily muted.

Finally, let us take the example of Leo Varadkar, the former Prime Minister of Ireland, who made his coming out again in 2015, shortly before the same-sex marriage referendum. His openness and support for LGBTQ+ rights contributed significantly to the referendum and the subsequent legalisation of marriage for all.

There are more of these stories, of course, but these "prime ministerial" ones show much better how important it is for a certain segment of citizens (or voters) to have their "open" representation in top office. And where do we stand?

Queer Czechia

In the Czech Republic, this issue is slightly more complicated, as homosexuality, or other and less traditional affiliation to the LGBTQ+ community, is still a kind of stigma in our country, which can in some ways rather hurt a politician, especially if he or she chooses an unfavourable form of coming out. Alternatively, it doesn't help that this stigma often makes people reluctant to fully come out as 'their colour', which also results in a form of voter distrust.

A good example is the former chair of the Green Party , Matěj Stropnický, who in 2017, a few days before the polls opened, came out with the surprising revelation that he was gay. The matter, which had been speculated about for a long time, seemed at that moment more like a drowning man trying to grasp a very thin straw, and so it turned out. His "marketing" coming out impressed virtually no one, and he even lost many of his voters because of it. Unfortunately, this approach has helped to convince many people that homosexuality is more of a modern trend that people flaunt to get attention.

Karla Šlechtová, a former politician for the ANO 2011 movement, who has always been a vocal supporter of the LGBTQ+ community and has even stated that the gay and lesbian community is her community, found out that coming out is not a simple matter in local politics. "In politics, you see more elbows than who you sleep with. Of course, this affects the attitudes of my fellow MPs in particular, some have stopped greeting me, some tell me I am gay among lesbians," she told idnes.cz before her end in politics in 2021.

One of the first examples of how political coming out in the Czech Republic can go more or less smoothly is businessman Petr Stuchlík, who at one time was a serious candidate for mayor of Prague. In 2018, when Prague Pride took place, he gave an interview to news server Aktualne.cz in which he talked about his desire to be fully transparent to the public, including the fact that he is gay. As in the case of Matěj Stropnický, this was just before the elections (in this case, several weeks), but because he chose this event to come out, it was not perceived by the public as forced, but rather as a manifestation of the euphoria and enthusiasm there. However, this "pre-election trend" did not pay off for him either, as he did not become mayor in the end.

A great example of how (almost) anything goes when you are not afraid is the actor and dubber (and subsequently politician) Jiří Hromada, who was there when various homosexual associations and societies came together to form the SOHO organization (1991). He also played an important role in the formation of the successor Gay Initiative (2000). He worked for seven years as editor-in-chief of the SOHO revue, and in other public information magazines. In the post-revolutionary era (1990), the Movement for Equal Rights of Homosexual Citizens (HRHO) nominated him as a candidate for the Federal Assembly. "It wasn't so much about becoming a deputy, but about making ourselves visible as a movement, and we did that in the campaign," he comments today.

Hromad's work and public speaking have contributed to a significant shift in the perception of the LGBTQ+ community in the Czech Republic. His activism helped raise awareness of LGBTQ rights and contributed to the passage of the Registered Partnership Act in 2006.

Thanks to his work, as well as the coming out of his political colleagues, whatever they may have been, it is now much easier for Czech politicians to not be afraid to speak out about their orientation or to strongly support it. This is also true for voters, who in turn are not afraid to send these politicians to the Chamber of Deputies. The best example of this is the Pirate Party , which is the most active in the area of LGBTQ+ rights of all and has been promoting them in the parliament for almost 7 years, and in local politics for a little longer.

Finally, we can also mention Osamu Okamura, an architect and urban planner who is currently running for the European Parliament on behalf of the Greens, and who is not afraid to speak publicly about his homosexual orientation. His first public coming out came at Prague Pride in 2017, but it was only in the context of the 2019 documentary The Okamura Brothers, where he reiterated his orientation in response to a question about why he does not vote for his brothers, that he became much more vocal. He then commented for the Liberec daily on whether he thinks it is necessary to talk more publicly about the issue of sexual orientation:

"Yes, because it can help a lot of young people. When I was younger, I used to worry about it a lot because I didn't have anyone to talk to about it. There was no one to help me, to explain what the options were. My parents never talked to me about it. I grew up in a time when it wasn't talked about anywhere, if in a pejorative way. Even in college, there wasn't a single openly gay classmate, let alone educator. It wasn't a topic in the 90s. I think it's important to get to know other people who have the same experience."

Impact on legislation and society

Coming out to LGBTQ+ politicians not only increases awareness and acceptance, but can also have a direct impact on legislative change, as mentioned at the beginning of this article and as seen in recent years in this country. The openness of these politicians often leads to them becoming more involved in pushing for laws to protect queer rights, and by their courage they motivate their colleagues who were previously more reticent in pushing for LGBTQ+ rights.

Their personal experiences and empathy often give them a deeper understanding of the needs of this community, which is reflected in their legislative activities. At the same time, their visibility and activism can inspire other LGBTQ+ people to become more involved in public life, thereby strengthening community representation at different levels of decision-making. All of the various legislative changes towards the queer community have often been initiated or supported by openly LGBTQ+ politicians whose personal stories and activism have contributed to shifts in public opinion and subsequent legislation.

Thus, the public coming out of politically exposed individuals has clearly had a profound and positive effect on society's perception of the LGBTQ+ community. It is important that there continues to be greater visibility and representation of this community in all areas of public life, leading to greater understanding and acceptance. Which can certainly be taken into account in the case of the upcoming elections.