Ayoub, Phillip M; Page, Douglas; Whitt, Sam; (2025) Countering International Backlash by Discrediting the Messengers: Reputational Chaining and LGBT+ Rights in Bosnia. Political Research Quarterly 10.1177/10659129251314051. (In press).

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Abstract

How can LGBT+ activists counter growing international backlash, especially in conservative contexts where LGBT+ people face discrimination? We consider the consequences of linking domestic opponents of LGBT+ rights to international anti-LGBT+ messengers, arguing that such linkages might work to impede backlash. The case of Bosnia informs our study as a conservative society where LGBT+ people have made both progress but also face staunch opposition. We inquire how linking domestic anti-LGBT+ political leaders (i.e., reputational chaining) to the agenda of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a well-recognized but also polarizing international anti-LGBT+ messenger, influences public opinion. Our experiments are designed to raise questions about the moral authority of Putin and political leaders associated with him. Based on a nationwide survey experiment in July and October 2023, we find that priming on Putin’s anti-LGBT+ messaging reduces appraisals of Putin’s moral authority and increases support for LGBT+ rights. In a second experiment, we illustrate how linking Bosnian Serb leader Milorad Dodik’s anti-LGBT+ messaging to Putin also undercuts Dodik’s appeal. We reflect on the implications of our findings for theories of norm entrepreneurship in international relations and for strategies to counter anti-LGBT+ backlash in conservative contexts.

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