Political parties can enhance participation of LGBTI persons in politics and decision-making processes through a number of inclusion strategies. Some of these mechanisms concern the party’s internal structure, such as including reference to LGBTI rights in internal rules and procedures, or creating LGBTI wings inside the party’s structure to represent the voice and interests of this community.

Political parties can also promote LGBTI participation in their external strategies at different stages of the electoral cycle. Some of the measures adopted by political parties in different countries include placing LGBTI candidates in winnable positions at the candidates’ list, including reference to LGBTI rights in electoral manifestos, or less frequently, establishing quotas for LGBTI candidates.

Another strategy to enhance political inclusion is to create LGBTI parties that focus primarily on the needs and priorities of this group, such as in the case of Ang Ladlad in the Philippines. The creation of LGBTI parties is quite infrequent and not always successful in terms of electoral wins, but it can help raise awareness on the human rights of this group. 

Example: In the Philippines, the LGBT political party Ang Ladlad was created to primarily represent the voice of this community. Although the party has had a poor electoral performance so far, it has contributed to place LGBTI rights in the public debate. In 2010, the Supreme Court ruled in favor of the party in the case Ang Ladlad vs. Commission on Elections, granting its registration as a party-list organization after the Commission had refused it on moral grounds.[1]

Example: In different countries, some political parties have adopted voluntary quotas for LGBTI persons in their candidate list. This is the case of the People’s Democratic Party in Turkey, which adopted a 50 percent quota for women and a 10 percent quota for LGBT candidates in the 2015 legislative elections.[2] In Australia, the Queensland Labor Party also adopted affirmative action measures for LGBTI candidates, with a minimum quota of 5 percent in winnable seats, as established in its 2017 Rules Book.[3]

Example: In the United Kingdom, major political parties have established LGBTI wings to give voice to this community within the party’s internal structure, promote human rights and fight discrimination, inside and outside the party. LGBT+ Conservatives[4], LGBT Labour[5] and LGBT+ Liberal Democrats[6] represent, respectively, the interests of this social group within the Conservative Party, the Labour Party and the Liberal Democrats.

Example: In Spain, most political parties addressed LGBTI rights in their manifestos for the 2016 general elections. Political parties with manifestos referencing LGBTI issues obtained 98 percent of seats in Congress. There were specific mentions in the manifestos of the People’s Party[7], the Socialist Party[8], Unidos Podemos[9], Ciudadanos[10], Republican Left of Catalonia[11], Democratic Convergence of Catalonia and Canarian Coalition[12]. A common proposal in most of these party manifestos is the fight against discrimination and violence on basis of sexual orientation and gender identity, through legislative efforts or action plans.

Example: Following the 2016 United Kingdom’s general election, its Parliament reached the highest number of openly LGBTI representatives worldwide, with 45 MPs who declare themselves gay, lesbian or bisexual, which accounts for 7 percent of the House of Commons. The major parties’ commitment to inclusive representation allowed for the placement of LGBTI candidates in winnable positions. The largest proportion corresponded to the Scottish National Party with 7 elected members (representing 20 percent of the seats obtained by the party), followed by the Labour Party, with 19 openly LGBTI representatives (7 percent of obtained seats), and the Conservative Party, with 19 members (6 percent of gained seats).[13]