Presenting VisibleQueers at the JGU Mainz Research Workshop
On 13 May 2026, Constantin Wurthmann presented work connected to the VisibleQueers project at the Research Workshop (Forschungswerkstatt) of the Institut für Politikwissenschaft at Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz.
The talk, titled „Between Descriptive Representation and Rejection: The Case of LGBT Candidates“, examined how preferences for descriptive representation among sexual and gender minorities sit alongside processes of majority-group resistance. The workshop format allowed for an extended and detailed discussion of the paper’s arguments, research design, and broader implications.
The discussion generated valuable input for the further development of VisibleQueers. Feedback from colleagues at the institute helped sharpen key theoretical and empirical questions that will inform the project’s comparative work going forward.
Many thanks to colleagues at the institute for the invitation and for an exceptionally constructive and stimulating exchange.
Presenting VisibleQueers at the Hannah Arendt Institute for Totalitarianism Studies
On 30 April 2026, Constantin Wurthmann presented the VisibleQueers project agenda at the Hannah Arendt Institute for Totalitarianism Studies (HAIT) in Dresden, as part of the institute’s colloquium on Political Representation and Forms of Oppression of Marginalised Groups.
The colloquium provided an excellent intellectual setting for the project’s core questions. With its focus on marginalised groups and the conditions under which they achieve or are denied political voice and recognition, the HAIT’s research agenda connects naturally with the concerns that motivate VisibleQueers. The presentation prompted a lively exchange among participants about the comparative scope of the project, the challenges of cross-national research designs in this area, and the broader political dynamics that shape LGBTQ+ visibility across Europe.
We are grateful to the HAIT for the invitation and to all participants for their thoughtful engagement. Conversations like these are an important part of developing the project, and it was particularly valuable to receive critical feedback from colleagues working on related questions of representation and exclusion.
Press Release
Major EU Grant for Research into the Political Identity of LGBTQ+ People in Europe
Political scientist Dr. Constantin Wurthmann from the Mannheim Centre for European
Social Research (MZES) of the University of Mannheim has been awarded an ERC Starting
Grant in the amount of 1.5 million euros. In his project, he investigates how the identities
of sexual and gender minorities develop, and how these affect political attitudes and party
preferences.
Political scientist Dr. Constantin Wurthmann from the Mannheim Centre for European Social
Research (MZES) of the University of Mannheim has been awarded a Starting Grant in the
amount of 1,5 million euros from the European Research Council (ERC). The title of his
research project is “Making the Queers Visible: Partisanship and Support among Sexual and
Gender Minorities in Eastern and Western Europe”. At 33, Wurthmann is one of the few to
have received the prestigious grant at the earliest possible point in time after completing his
doctorate.
Prof. Dr. Constantin Wurthmann 