Strategies of agenda denial: Anti-gender opposition to LGBTQ+ policies in Italy

Abstract While the agenda setting literature largely focuses on how issues gain the attention of policy-makers, the strategies used to keep certain issues off the governmental agenda remain underexplored. This paper addresses this gap by examining agenda denial in the context of LGBTQ+ equality policies. It analyzes how opponents of such policies employ both strategies of avoidance and non-confrontation, as well as strategies of attack and issue redefinition, in order to prevent LGBTQ+ equality from advancing on the policy agenda. The opponents examined in this study are anti-gender actors, who have increasingly positioned themselves at the forefront of the backlash against gender equality, forming alliances across political and civil society sectors to push back or halt progress on LGBTQ+ policies. By dissecting their opposition arguments, this study examines how they strategically mobilize reason (evoking empirical proofs and factual evidence) and emotion (evoking sensibilities and feelings) to sustain their denial strategies. Focusing on Italy, where parties of the right-wing bloc and anti-gender organizations are increasingly intertwined and have gained significant influence, this study utilizes qualitative, interpretive content analysis of parliamentary debates on laws against homotransphobia, as well as organizational documents from anti-gender actors. The paper contributes to the literature by linking gender studies with agenda denial theory, offering fresh insights into gender backlash dynamics from a public policy perspective.