Why anti-LGBT Law is supported in Iraq? An Evidence from Conjoint Analysis

The principal investigator and co-researcher will conduct a survey experiment in Iraq to determine why anti-LGBT laws passed in 2024 are supported by the public.　 In Iraq, where the authoritarian regime collapsed after the Iraq War of 2003, the subsequent democratization process saw Islamist forces gain power through elections. On April 27, 2024, the National Assembly passed a revised Anti-Prostitution and Homosexuality Law, commonly referred to as the "Anti-LGBT Law." The law stipulates prison sentences of 10 to 15 years for individuals engaging in homosexual intercourse and penalizes both those undergoing sex reassignment surgeries and the doctors who perform them. Social organizations promoting "sexual deviance" like homosexuality also face imprisonment and fines.
This legal amendment sparked significant concern in Western media, raising issues about its potential impact on the freedom and dignity of sexual minorities, especially the LGBTQ community. In the Western view, protecting the rights of sexual minorities is integral to universal human rights, which states should uphold. However, Iraq's young democratic system, heavily influenced by Islamist parties, tends to emphasize traditional values over individual rights.　 Using conjoint and scenario experiments, this study will elucidate that the factor associated with attitudes in favor of anti-LGBT laws is sympathy for Islamist ideology, and that public support would increase if anti-LGBT laws were revised to be more stringent than they currently are.