Variation in Latin American LGBT Rights

This thesis explores the current cross-national variation in Latin American LGBT rights since the beginning of the pink tide. I create the Latin American LGBT Rights Index that empirically measures each nation’s LGBT rights policies and use the index to quantitatively examine several economic, cultural, and political variables’ effects on LGBT policy outcomes. This work includes a multivariate panel analysis and qualitative case studies of Argentina, Brazil, and Nicaragua to examine how the left shift has had divergent outcomes on LGBT right in Latin America. I conclude this work with recommendations for further research.