Pride amid Prejudice: The Influence of LGBT+ Rights Activism in a Socially Conservative Society

How do mass publics react to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT+) advocacy efforts in socially conservative societies? We consider how the first-ever LGBT+ Pride in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina influences ordinary citizens’ attitudes and behavior regarding LGBT+ support. Using nationw...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inThe American political science review Vol. 115; no. 2; pp. 467 - 485
Main Authors AYOUB, PHILLIP M., PAGE, DOUGLAS, WHITT, SAM
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published New York, USA Cambridge University Press 01.05.2021
Subjects
Activism
Activists
Advocacy
Attitude Change
Attitudes
Bisexuality
Civil rights
Collective action
Comparative Analysis
Demonstrations & protests
Experiments
Gender
Interpersonal Competence
Lesbianism
LGBTQ people
LGBTQ rights
Minority groups
Mobilization
Nationalism
Political activism
Political science
Politics
Polls & surveys
Prejudice
Proximity
Public opinion
Resource allocation
Self esteem
Sexual orientation
Sexuality
Slavic Languages
Social activism
Social Attitudes
Social exclusion
Social networks
Social Problems
Social Responsibility
Society
Transgender persons
United States > US
New York City New York
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Summary:How do mass publics react to lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT+) advocacy efforts in socially conservative societies? We consider how the first-ever LGBT+ Pride in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina influences ordinary citizens’ attitudes and behavior regarding LGBT+ support. Using nationwide and local panel surveys, we find that support for LGBT+ activism increased locally after the Pride but did not diffuse nationwide, signaling how proximity mechanisms reinforce Pride effects. In survey experiments, we show that subjects are responsive to both mobilization and counter-mobilization appeals by local activists. We also find evidence from a behavioral experiment that the Pride had a positive effect on shifting the allocation of financial resources toward local pro-LGBT+ activists and away from opposition groups. Finally, in-depth interviews with local LGBT+ activists underscore the challenges facing LGBT+ activism in socially conservative societies but also point to the substantial possibilities of collective action on behalf of minorities at risk.
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ISSN:0003-0554
1537-5943
DOI:10.1017/S0003055420001082