Same-sex unions: The globalization of an idea

What explains why a majority of western democracies have adopted same-sex union (SSU) laws in the past decade and a half? I argue that this startling trend toward policy convergence in part can be explained by the rise of a human rights oriented transnational network of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) activists as well as the transnationally networked policy elites these activists influence. These networks, however, do not fully determine policy outcomes as is evidenced by the fact that not all western democracies legally recognize same-sex relationships and those that do have adopted different models of SSU laws. To explain these differences, I show how the nature of national religious practices and the perceived legitimacy of international norms by national elites and publics mediate the influence of the transnational networks and the norms they promote.