Attitudes Towards and Political Representation of Sexual and Gender Minorities

Abstract

Sexual and gender minorities have played a role in political science research for decades. For a long time, the main focus was on the attitudes of individuals towards lesbians and gays and the factors that influence them. It was not until the mid-1990s that groundbreaking studies emerged that were dedicated to LGBTQ+ politics and the political behaviour of LGBTQ+ individuals. However, the question of whether and to what extent sexual and gender minorities experience representation in the political sphere remains understudied. Although initial steps have been taken in the past decade to address the democratic representation of these groups in society, they have mostly been limited to the Anglo-American sphere. Against the background of sexual and gender minorities becoming an increasingly visible electorate in Western democracies, the question of who represents the interests of this social group in the political sphere and in what way is by no means trivial. This panel aims to get to the bottom of precisely this question: Who represents the interests of sexual and gender minorities in what way - and how do these minorities in turn assess this representation? Also of interest are new findings dedicated to attitudes towards sexual and gender minorities because these groups are often overlooked in the political sphere, and their representation and political engagement may differ from that of more visible sexual and gender minority groups.

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