Sexual Identities and Protesting Among College Students: Exploring Political Distinctiveness Mediation Factors

Two, four, six, eight…why we want to participate: Motivations and barriers to LGBTQ+ activism

“…Additionally, participants in the current study reported lack of opportunities to participate, whether that was a lack of geographically close options or being unsure about how to get involved. This is consistent with research on embeddedness theory and the role of social networks in political participation (e.g., Lim, 2008; Swank et al, 2020). A recent study by Paceley, Thomas, and Turner (2019) on the factors impeding limiting sexual/gender minority (SGM) youths' involvement in non‐metropolitan SGM community organizations, also found accessibility (e.g., distance, lack of information) to be a major barrier to involvement, which is consistent with our findings related to geographical barriers.…”

“…Other motivations and predictors for activist participation, in predominantly white samples, include experiences of heterosexist discrimination (for reviews see Dunn & Szymanski, 2018; Swank et al, 2020), gendered heterosexism (e.g., Friedman & Leaper, 2010) and public disclosure of sexual identity (Harris & Battle, 2013; Swank & Fahs, 2013; Velez & Moradi, 2016). Additional predictors include having an activist identity, measured as politicized self‐concepts (i.e., ‘I see myself as someone who is involved in promoting social justice’; Swank & Fahs, 2012) or having a politicized queer identity (Duncan, Mincer, & Dunn, 2017).…”

“…Understanding what prompts or prevents people from participating in social justice movements is as critical now as it has ever been. Research has shown that queer people are more likely to be engaged in activism than their heterosexual counterparts (e.g., Friedman & Ayres, 2013; Swank, Atteberry‐Ash, Coulombe, & Woodford, 2020; Swank & Fahs, 2019). Therefore, it is particularly important to examine what motivates queer people to participate, as well as what barriers exist that preclude them from getting involved.…”

The relationship between religiousness and health among sexual minorities: A meta-analysis.

“…Despite accounting for nearly 75% of all individuals studied, sexual minorities sampled from LGB venues had a characteristically different relationship between R/S and health than participants recruited in other ways. Sexual minorities who are active in LGB venues may be more likely to be young, White, and liberal than sexual minorities generally (Han, 2007; Swank et al, 2020). At a minimum, researchers should be mindful of these differences.…”

Sexual Identities and the Role of Marriage in Social Movement Activism

“…Finally, some studies suggest that lesbian and gay marriages may even suppress the liberalism and political activism of sexual minorities. Studies from Canada and Australia found that single gay men were ideologically more left-wing (Guntermann and Beauvais 2022) and more prone to voting for gay rights (Thai and Dellers 2020), while another study found that lower marriage rates helped to explain the protesting actions of gay and lesbian college students (Swank, Atteberry-Ash, Coulombe, and Woodford 2020).…”