Gay/Lesbian vote historically

[Ogre Mage]

So back to the topic, no one has any idea how LGBTs voted pre-1992?  I mean it's not like the Democratic Party has been the clearly more pro-LGBT party before about 2000 (which is the OP's point).

Still I think that the gay community tended to drift towards the Democrats by default beginning probably in the 70s just because they tended to be clustered in urban areas and would have been more likely to form pressure groups within the Democratic Party, Reagan's reaction to AIDS I think was the tipping point even if Democrats in the 80s were really just as bad.

I could see Ford possibly doing well in 76 just because Carter was the one perceived as a bible thumper and probably seen as less gay friendly at that point.

I think the rise of the Religious Right in the late 70s/early 80s and its clear association with the Republican Party was a significant factor in pushing LGBT into the Democratic camp.  Reagan was the first Republican President to be associated with Religious Right (probably at least a partial explanation for his reaction to the AIDS crisis).  Gay people no doubt observed this and responded accordingly.

LGBT activists noticed how the Civil Rights and Women's Rights Movements had successfully operationalized their policy goals through the Democratic Party and figured this could work for them as well.  The Party was not very supportive at first -- but certainly blacks and feminists faced resistance within the Party when they began pushing for change as well.

[mds32]

As a another Log Cabin Republican, I must say that I am so amused that the far-left gets so riled up about some LGBT people voting R.

I agree, it strikes me as funny.

[ProgressiveCanadian]

As a another Log Cabin Republican, I must say that I am so amused that the far-left gets so riled up about some LGBT people voting R.

I agree, it strikes me as funny.

Going against their self interests is kind of odd. Even the former GOProud founder left because the GOP has become anti-gay.

[mds32]

As a another Log Cabin Republican, I must say that I am so amused that the far-left gets so riled up about some LGBT people voting R.

I agree, it strikes me as funny.

Going against their self interests is kind of odd. Even the former GOProud founder left because the GOP has become anti-gay.

Our self interests? Who I register with, who I vote for, what issues I ascribe to be important, and what I plan on doing about them is my own business and I certainly don't owe anything to a political party because of it. Just because someone is registered with a party does not mean that they are VOTING against their self-interests.

As for LaSalvia, I read his entire book front to cover and I agree with him. He took the full brunt of the intolerant behavior of the GOP, it truly was sickening.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

As a another Log Cabin Republican, I must say that I am so amused that the far-left gets so riled up about some LGBT people voting R.

I agree, it strikes me as funny.

Going against their self interests is kind of odd. Even the former GOProud founder left because the GOP has become anti-gay.

It really strikes me as funny to be told what my self-interest is by others, especially when I was just told earlier in this thread that people ought to reject their self-interest (re: economics, which I already find debatable as most policies are not zero-sum but helpful for everyone or no one) unless they want to be disgusting, selfish pigs.

[ProgressiveCanadian]

As a another Log Cabin Republican, I must say that I am so amused that the far-left gets so riled up about some LGBT people voting R.

I agree, it strikes me as funny.

Going against their self interests is kind of odd. Even the former GOProud founder left because the GOP has become anti-gay.

Our self interests? Who I register with, who I vote for, what issues I ascribe to be important, and what I plan on doing about them is my own business and I certainly don't owe anything to a political party because of it. Just because someone is registered with a party does not mean that they are VOTING against their self-interests.

As for LaSalvia, I read his entire book front to cover and I agree with him. He took the full brunt of the intolerant behavior of the GOP, it truly was sickening.

Hey anyone is able to vote for whoever...however it is like voting for Wallace when being African American. Yes the Republican party made it's whole goal to win with anti gay marriage ballots in 2004 and i have not seen them apologize for that. So no i find it very odd when they vote for the GOP.

[mds32]

As a another Log Cabin Republican, I must say that I am so amused that the far-left gets so riled up about some LGBT people voting R.

I agree, it strikes me as funny.

Going against their self interests is kind of odd. Even the former GOProud founder left because the GOP has become anti-gay.

Our self interests? Who I register with, who I vote for, what issues I ascribe to be important, and what I plan on doing about them is my own business and I certainly don't owe anything to a political party because of it. Just because someone is registered with a party does not mean that they are VOTING against their self-interests.

As for LaSalvia, I read his entire book front to cover and I agree with him. He took the full brunt of the intolerant behavior of the GOP, it truly was sickening.

Hey anyone is able to vote for whoever...however it is like voting for Wallace when being African American. Yes the Republican party made it's whole goal to win with anti gay marriage ballots in 2004 and i have not seen them apologize for that. So no i find it very odd when they vote for the GOP.

I just don't see it that way at all. Meanwhile Democrats like Clinton signed DOMA, I didn't see Clinton apologize until 2013. Maybe they also think about the whole picture besides just the LGBT planks, I don't subscribe to the 22% or so that voted for Romney in 2012 or others who voted for Bush. I do care about my rights, but I also look at other issues as well. The fact that 22% of people looked at economic, foreign policy issues, or other social issues, or character traits of the candidates to decide their votes in 2012 shouldn't be that shocking.

If you look at it in terms of intersectionality one can be gay, white, and a man for instance. 2/3 of those demographics don't normally subscribe to being Democratic normally that could be another reason.

[Rockefeller GOP]

Democrats are extremely talented at taking certain groups' votes for granted and then belittling those that don't fall in line.  It's an age-old party tradition!

[Kingpoleon]

Democrats are extremely talented at taking certain groups' votes for granted and then belittling those that don't fall in line.  It's an age-old party tradition!

Cubans are white
Hispanics who seem white are bad
Tim Scott is awful
Bobby Jindal is a tanned corrupt machine

Etc., etc.

Sure, the Democrats are better on the rights of LGBT people, but what if they don't want the government to make sure to protect them from discrimination and to treat them differently?

[tallguy23]

For what it's worth, I'm friends with a recently married gay couple who are some of the most Republican people I've ever met. In fact, the only issue they agree with the Democrats on is gay rights. One of them is staunchly pro-life and will vote for an anti-gay politician as long as they are completely pro-life.

[ElectionsGuy]

As a another Log Cabin Republican, I must say that I am so amused that the far-left gets so riled up about some LGBT people voting R.

I agree, it strikes me as funny.

Going against their self interests is kind of odd. Even the former GOProud founder left because the GOP has become anti-gay.

Our self interests? Who I register with, who I vote for, what issues I ascribe to be important, and what I plan on doing about them is my own business and I certainly don't owe anything to a political party because of it. Just because someone is registered with a party does not mean that they are VOTING against their self-interests.

As for LaSalvia, I read his entire book front to cover and I agree with him. He took the full brunt of the intolerant behavior of the GOP, it truly was sickening.

Hey anyone is able to vote for whoever...however it is like voting for Wallace when being African American. Yes the Republican party made it's whole goal to win with anti gay marriage ballots in 2004 and i have not seen them apologize for that. So no i find it very odd when they vote for the GOP.

Newsflash: People vote on more than gay rights.

Why are people surprised that gays are 1/4 Republican? Gay people come from all backgrounds, all lifestyles, etc so you can imagine a very conservative gay person who would vote for a Republican that would cut taxes, have a more hawkish foreign policy, whatever it is, in spite of the very minor issue that is gay marriage. Many gay republicans might be annoyed by their conservative counterparts negative attitude toward them, but they're ideologically more aligned with them on most things. I'm a bisexual libertarian, and while I gave up on the Republican Party a long time ago for a whole host of reasons, I'll tell you if I had the views of a right wing conservative minus gay marriage I would still vote Republican, easily.

Besides being for gay rights that might tilt gays toward the Democratic party, there's other factors too. Being much less religious is one, and many LGBT people lose their religiosity because of the discrimination they've faced or dealt with. Also, there's a personality component too. Not just talking about gay men, gay people tend to have personality traits that guide their outlook on the world in a more liberal way such as caring about animal rights, wanting more peace in the world, and wanting to help the poor. This is because the #1 difference between heterosexuals and homosexuals is aggressiveness, gays are just way less aggressive/militant in general. This is also why they are less likely to participate in sports or be not as athletic. Not every gay person fits this theme obviously, but I think its one of the top reasons why they actually are more liberal.

[/]

As a another Log Cabin Republican, I must say that I am so amused that the far-left gets so riled up about some LGBT people voting R.

I agree, it strikes me as funny.

Going against their self interests is kind of odd. Even the former GOProud founder left because the GOP has become anti-gay.

Our self interests? Who I register with, who I vote for, what issues I ascribe to be important, and what I plan on doing about them is my own business and I certainly don't owe anything to a political party because of it. Just because someone is registered with a party does not mean that they are VOTING against their self-interests.

As for LaSalvia, I read his entire book front to cover and I agree with him. He took the full brunt of the intolerant behavior of the GOP, it truly was sickening.

Hey anyone is able to vote for whoever...however it is like voting for Wallace when being African American. Yes the Republican party made it's whole goal to win with anti gay marriage ballots in 2004 and i have not seen them apologize for that. So no i find it very odd when they vote for the GOP.

Newsflash: People vote on more than gay rights.

Why are people surprised that gays are 1/4 Republican? Gay people come from all backgrounds, all lifestyles, etc so you can imagine a very conservative gay person who would vote for a Republican that would cut taxes, have a more hawkish foreign policy, whatever it is, in spite of the very minor issue that is gay marriage. Many gay republicans might be annoyed by their conservative counterparts negative attitude toward them, but they're ideologically more aligned with them on most things. I'm a bisexual libertarian, and while I gave up on the Republican Party a long time ago for a whole host of reasons, I'll tell you if I had the views of a right wing conservative minus gay marriage I would still vote Republican, easily.

Besides being for gay rights that might tilt gays toward the Democratic party, there's other factors too. Being much less religious is one, and many LGBT people lose their religiosity because of the discrimination they've faced or dealt with. Also, there's a personality component too. Not just talking about gay men, gay people tend to have personality traits that guide their outlook on the world in a more liberal way such as caring about animal rights, wanting more peace in the world, and wanting to help the poor. This is because the #1 difference between heterosexuals and homosexuals is aggressiveness, gays are just way less aggressive/militant in general. This is also why they are less likely to participate in sports or be not as athletic. Not every gay person fits this theme obviously, but I think its one of the top reasons why they actually are more liberal.

^This. Gay people have many factors to consider while choosing who to vote for, not just their sexual orientation.

[Phony Moderate]

^This. Gay people have many factors to consider while choosing who to vote for, not just their sexual orientation.

Well, I don't. If a Labour candidate supported re-nationalization of the public utilities, the scrapping of Trident, the decriminalization of all drugs, the abolition of private schools, a substantial increase in the minimum wage, a crackdown on Zero Hour contracts etc...but was iffy on gay rights, then such a candidate would not get my vote. Though I likely wouldn't vote for his/her pro-gay Lib Dem/Tory/UKIP opponent either.

Oh! I just recalled the existence of the Green Party. Yeah, their candidate would probably get my vote in the above scenario.

[TDAS04]

I don't vote only on gay rights.  I almost always vote Democratic because I agree with them more than I agree the Republicans on most issues, but it certainly doesn't hurt that Democrats have been more gay-friendly.

Would I vote against an otherwise great candidate just because he or she is not great on gay rights?  Usually not, but it would depend.  If a progressive candidate was just iffy on gay rights, doesn't say anything overtly hateful, and wouldn't be able to prevent the progress of LGBT rights anyway, I'd probably still vote for him or her.  However, just as one wouldn't expect a black to vote for David Duke, I could not vote for Tony Perkins or James Dobson, even if they turned progressive on other issues.  I wouldn't vote for someone who was that bigoted against me because of my sexual orientation.

[mds32]

I don't vote only on gay rights.  I almost always vote Democratic because I agree with them more than I agree the Republicans on most issues, but it certainly doesn't hurt that Democrats have been more gay-friendly.

Would I vote against an otherwise great candidate just because he or she is not great on gay rights?  Usually not, but it would depend.  If a progressive candidate was just iffy on gay rights, doesn't say anything overtly hateful, and wouldn't be able to prevent the progress of LGBT rights anyway, I'd probably still vote for him or her.  However, just as one wouldn't expect a black to vote for David Duke, I could not vote for Tony Perkins or James Dobson, even if they turned progressive on other issues.  I wouldn't vote for someone who was that bigoted against me because of my sexual orientation.

I don't either. I vote for inoffensive Republicans that actually put me equal with them in the world. So I stand with you there. I however tend to agree with Republicans on other issues so that's why I vote for Republicans a MAJORITY of the time.

[HillOfANight]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/13/bottom-for-hillary-clinton_n_7055816.html
http://thoughtcatalog.com/tom-bellino/2013/06/hillary-clintons-gay-fanbase-political-ally-or-diva-worship/

I admit, I was very torn when Obama beat Hillary in 2008. It was my first eligible election and I passed because she didn't make the ballot.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

The gays love Hillary and I think she'll do well (not that Obama did bad).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2Y9abmNuRw

[Blair]

Well the democrats aren't just the party that on the whole supported gay marriage before the GOP, they're also the party who generally lead to expand healthcare coverage to cover HIV/AIDs patients, who've actually raised the issue of HIV/AIDs, who want to bring in national equality legislation that would stop you getting kicked out of your house for being gay, they're the party that don't parade Kim Davis around as a civil rights hero.

The LGBT movement isn't just about gay rights-it's about understanding that there's discrimination against certain groups, that the Government should be there to protect said groups. The battles that the gay movement in the 80's shouldn't be forgotten

[user12345]

Personally, I identified as a Republican because my parents were but the more I read about their stances on LGBT rights and such the more I was driven away from them and into the Democratic party and eventually began to agree with the Democrats on everything after seeing their sides of the issues. I did become a Democrat because I was gay, but I still identified with the Republicans on a lot of issues for a while.

[Supersonic]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/13/bottom-for-hillary-clinton_n_7055816.html
http://thoughtcatalog.com/tom-bellino/2013/06/hillary-clintons-gay-fanbase-political-ally-or-diva-worship/

You must be logged in to read this quote.

The gays love Hillary and I think she'll do well (not that Obama did bad).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2Y9abmNuRw

I find the whole homo-ffection for Clinton absolutely bizarre to be honest.

For myself, I support the party that caters to my political outlook. That would be the Conservatives in the UK, and to a lesser extent the Republican Party in the US. There is not much more to it than that really. I'm not going to vote for a party/candidate that strongly supports gay rights but whom I disagree with on every other key issue. On the flip side, if someone was rabidly anti-gay, then I wouldn't support that candidate either even if I agree with them on a significant number of issues. In my own experience there are a ton of gay Conservative supporters (although I probably would say that given my own social circle), there is also a lot of gay Republicans to be found on places such as Twitter too.

[TDAS04]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/13/bottom-for-hillary-clinton_n_7055816.html
http://thoughtcatalog.com/tom-bellino/2013/06/hillary-clintons-gay-fanbase-political-ally-or-diva-worship/

I admit, I was very torn when Obama beat Hillary in 2008. It was my first eligible election and I passed because she didn't make the ballot.

You must be logged in to read this quote.

The gays love Hillary and I think she'll do well (not that Obama did bad).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2Y9abmNuRw

Perhaps I should have known since I'm both a gay and a huge Hillary fan.   (But I like Obama too.)

[SingingAnalyst]

Based on returns from a number of areas including San Francisco, I'd say gays and lesbians split their votes in 1976, perhaps showing a slight preference for Ford over Carter (with perhaps a larger than average share going to McCarthy). I'd say gays voted near the national average through 1964, then broke for Humphrey in '68 with almost none going for Wallace, then split their vote in 1972. In Michigan, I suspect Gov. Milliken (R) won the vast majority of gay votes against pro-life Democrat William Fitzgerald in 1978, based on returns from Ann Arbor and East Lansing.