ABSTRACT
This chapter analyses socioeconomic and socio-cultural characteristics of homonegativity in South-East European societies. It focuses on individual-level effects of modernization, cultural persistence and attitudes toward gender equality. The relationship between the impact of modernization and religiosity is of particular importance since it seems to profoundly affect the contemporary social reality of the countries analysed. Modernization affects the normative dimension. Economic growth and socio-cultural development is related to decriminalization of homosexuality. In comparison to Western European countries, the seven countries are characterized by late decriminalization of homosexuality. Societal acceptance of an identity and sexual behaviours that were almost universally condemned by organized religion and legally sanctioned until recently necessarily depends on processes that mark the departure from traditional culture, traditional religiosity and tradition-based legal norms. Possible effects of inequality, trust and religion notwithstanding, the impact of modernization processes based, primarily but not exclusively, on economic growth and educational development was evident even in South East European countries.
