Still proud at the polls? LGBT+ rights don't dilute the sexuality turnout gap

Abstract

Recent research has shown that sexual and/or gender minority voters are prone to mobilizing when LGBT+ issues are on the political agenda. This increased level of political engagement is attributed to the experience of discrimination, understood both in legal and social terms, which spurs LGBT+ individuals to participate with the aim of advancing their rights. However, a crucial question remains unanswered: do these gaps in participation persist in contexts where core LGBT+ rights are protected? Drawing from comprehensive and verified data on the population of Sweden, this study finds evidence of a positive and sustained sexuality‐driven voter turnout gap across multiple elections. This gap manifests itself both shortly and a decade after the enactment of same‐sex marriage and shows no tangible signs of abating. In addition to improving our knowledge of political participation patterns among sexual minorities, these findings underscore the potential role of minority rights protection as a mechanism to ensure enduring inclusion of social minority groups within democratic processes.

LGB+ identity and its implications for the policy positions of parliamentary candidates

“…Following this perspective, an increasing number of empirical studies have been devoted to the political behaviour, i.e. voting participation and voting behaviour, of LGB individuals and have demonstrated that this social group, which is still only marginally researched, might be and is capable of shaping politics (Guntermann and Beauvais, 2022;Grahn, 2023;Hertzog, 1996;Perrella et al, 2012;Turnbull-Dugarte, 2020b;Wurthmann, 2023a). In contrast, the literature on LGB politicians and their political behaviour was considered "almost nonexistent" (Everitt, 2015, 178) only a few years ago.…”