Revisiting Transnational Lgbtqi+ Solidarity

In recent years, different governmental entities have launched transnational solidarity initiatives to defend LGBTQI+ rights beyond their borders. A notable example is Canada, which, through its inaugural 2SLGBTQI+ Federal Action Plan has committed to various measures supporting LGBTQI+ rights on the international stage as part of its Feminist International Assistance Policy devised by Global Affairs Canada. While some view governmental engagement on LGBTQI+ issues internationally as beneficial and necessary, others are skeptical, perceiving these transnational solidarity efforts as forms of homonationalism or homocolonialism. These critics argue that such efforts reinforce sexual democratization—a process where countries of the global North define, celebrate, and control a narrowly normative sexual identity category. Far from being liberating, these transnational solidarity initiatives may perpetuate colonial privileges and impose neoliberal norms on local cultures and autonomies.

These issues are particularly pronounced in the Francophone context, where the French language and laws criminalizing same-sex relations—remnants of colonization—persist in many countries of the global South. Consequently, it is essential to examine this colonial legacy and its articulation within the current context of governmental transnational solidarity initiatives concerning LGBTQI+ issues.

In this presentation, I will revisit the conception of transnational LGBTQI+ solidarity and its limitations, drawing on insights from nine focus groups conducted during the 2nd international Égides conference held in November 2024. During this conference, nearly fifty LGBTQI+ activists from over twenty Francophone countries in the Global North and South discussed the definition, operationalization, and limitations of transnational solidarity. They also explored ways to implement a transnational LGBTQI+ solidarity approach through a decolonial lens. This presentation aims to highlight the complexities and challenges of such solidarity efforts and to propose strategies for a decolonial approach that acknowledges and addresses the power imbalances and colonial legacies inherent in current practices.