Article National construction and LGBTI rights: Exploring Catalan homonationalism Nu ´ ria Sadurnı ´ University of Girona, Spain Marisela Montenegro Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain Joan Pujol Autonomous University of Barcelona, Spain Abstract Homonationalism offers a conceptual framework that allows us to understand the assimilation of the struggle for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) rights by national exceptionalism in the constitution of a geopolitical colonial differentiation. In light of recent developments, both in terms of national identity and LGBTI legal rights, we carried out a case study on Catalonia through the analytical tool of homonationalism, using different public documents as well as narrative productions. Through this analysis, we identified three rhetorical figures that the homonationalist discourse adopts in the Catalan case: territorial differentiations, political differentiations and ethnic differentiations. Keywords Catalonia, homonationalism, LGBTI groups, narrative productions The exceptionalist character of the Catalan nation/European Catalonia When the Catalan Parliament approved the 11/2014 law on 10 October to guar- antee the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersexual people and to Sexualities 0(0) 1–17 ! The Author(s) 2017 Reprints and permissions: sagepub.co.uk/journalsPermissions.nav DOI: 10.1177/1363460717716399 journals.sagepub.com/home/sex Corresponding author: Nu ´ria Sadurnı ´, Universitat de Girona, Campus de Barri Vell, Plac ¸a Sant Dome `nec 9, Girona 17004, Spain. Email: nuria.sadurni@udg.edu