Document Type

Honors Paper

Advisor

Laura Little

Publication Date

2026

Abstract

This thesis aims to create a transhistorical map of queer Riga through the tolerance, treatment, and activist moments in Latvia from the early twentieth century to 2025, with special focus on the divided legal and social attitudes toward LGBT identities in different pockets of Riga. By tracing the role the Russo-Soviet occupations on Latvian soil from 1914-1991 had on the structure of governmental organizations, the treatment of the Latvian language and culture, and the social atmosphere in the capital of Riga, this thesis establishes a Latvian national historical memory through memory narratives that focus themselves in authentic Latvian traditionality, as well as examining theory of nation re-establishment in the wake of occupation.

This thesis contextualizes how these differing conditions have impacted the ephemerality and openness of queerness throughout history. This thesis applies the concept of national memory to craft a narration of queer visibility, as well as outlines the origins and legacies of queer activism that has been present in Latvia. This thesis concludes with discussion of queer Russophone identities in the Latgale region to widen the scope and definition of minority attitudes in Latvia, and how it may differ from Western interpretations of minority identifications and the basis on which anti-discrimination policies rely, a unique perspective not found elsewhere in the world.

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The views expressed in this paper are solely those of the author.