This report investigates the link between two growing crises: the systematic targeting of LGBTQ communities and the global decline of democracy. It analyzes how rhetorical, political, and physical attacks on the LGBTQ community serve as both a significant human rights issue and a deliberate tactic in the authoritarian arsenal, disguised as typical culture war politics.

LGBTQ scapegoating is intentional. It is neither a natural result of polarization nor an anticipated response to progress in rights, but a strategy designed to exacerbate divisions and weaken democracy.