Authors

Karlis Verdins¹;  ¹ Institute of Literature, Folklore and Art of the University of Latvia, Latvia

Discussion

The President of the Republic of Latvia, Edgars Rinkevičs, is the first openly gay man to hold the office of President of a European Union country. In 2014, as the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Latvia, he published a coming-out statement on Twitter. Despite the conservative views of a large part of Latvian society, his successful political career continued, and in 2023, he was elected President. This paper analyzes Rinkevičs' communication with the public in the recent years, which makes his principled political stance more accessible to his supporters. It examines the correlation between his conformity and popularity among the general public. Rinkevičs has been actively communicating on social media for years, making numerous visits to different places in Latvia, and expresses strong support for Ukraine, commenting willingly on current public events. However, his private life is not discussed, and his partners are not mentioned. As George L. Mosse has admitted, non-normative sexuality makes a public figure an outsider, and the price for inclusion in society is loneliness. The image of a lonely president corresponds to public perceptions of a respectable queer politician in a country where anti-gender sentiments are still strong.