The Discursive Construction of the Concept of LGBTQ People in Hungarian Online Political Communication

Anti-LGBTQ measures and political discourse have significantly intensified in Hungary since 2020, with the initiation and unanimous support of Fidesz and KDNP, the governing parties since 2010. To understand the political context in which these took place, this study investigates how prominent Hungarian politicians-government and opposition alike-discursively constructed the concept of LGBTQ people in their social media communication prior to this wave of anti-LGBTQ legislation. Specifically, it turns to the 2019 social media communication of 44 prominent Hungarian politicians from 12 political parties and groups. The discourse analysis of politicians' LGBTQ people-related Facebook posts examined the portrayal modes, naming techniques, and the representation of LGBTQ voices. The study identified three predominant discourses at work in the discursive construction of the concept of LGBTQ people: political showcase discourse, human rights discourse, and anti-gender discourse.