The Europeanization and Transnationalization of Civil Society Organizations Striving for Equality: Goals and Strategies of Gay and Lesbian Groups in Italy and the Netherlands.

In this article, we first trace the Europeanization of social policy at the EU level in the Treaty of Amsterdam and the subsequent issuance of anti-discrimination directives. The advent of these institutional changes at the EU level and the inclusion of sexual orientation in the anti-discrimination directives, have provided new opportunities for gay and lesbian civil society organizations across Europe to work together transnationally. This Europeanization of anti-discrimination has laid a minimum ground floor, in which further extension of rights beyond the area of employment, to include equality in housing, the provision of services, and other areas have become possible. In addition, while some countries have extended rights of marriage to same-sex couples or offer other forms of state recognized partnerships, this has emerged as a new goal for gay and lesbian groups in other countries. The Europeanization of the policy area has led to a growing transnationalization of the movement, in which groups learn and are assisted by groups in other countries. This article presented an empirical investigation of the goals and strategies pursued by two national groups, Arcigay in Italy and the COC in the Netherlands. From the two empirical cases presented here, it is apparent that the two possible modes of interaction faced by gay and lesbian groups offered in the literature, either highly divisive 'morality politics' or an incremental 'interest group' mode of interaction, must be joined by a third which we call 'high profile' politics - one marked by coalition seeking, highly visible public events, government support, and transnational activity at the EU level and in countries abroad. This is a strategy possible where this is a high degree of public support for equality and minimal partisan or religious opposition to the movement. The modern gay and lesbian rights movement has moved well beyond the identity politics of Stonewall to demand equal rights, including anti-discrimination measures and the right to marriage. While some gay and lesbian civil rights groups remain trapped in a 'morality politics' mode of interaction because of strong opposition to their demand for equal rights, which makes success difficult, other groups may be able to achieve results through an incremental 'interest group' mode of political interaction. But we have seen, others civil society organizations, like the one we studied in the Netherlands, are now able are able to use the tolerance and acceptance won in their societies, for a 'high profile' strategy to maintain and advance their societal and political influence. ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]