More rights = more participation? LGBT+ rights and political engagement among sexual minorities in Sweden

The enactment of LGB (lesbian, gay, and bisexual-) rights has been linked to better health- and labor-market outcomes among non-straight citizens. This paper studies the potential effect of LGB rights reforms on political inclusion and participation of sexual minorities. This will be done by analyzing long-term trends in political participation among LGBs in Sweden, where the community enjoys extensive rights. The paper asks whether there has been an increase in voter turnout among LGBs during and/or after the enactment of key pro-LGB reforms and whether the proliferation of LGB rights could have boosted the number LGB candidates/office holders. Finally, the paper inquires whether the purported association between LGB rights protection and political participation applies to the entire LGB group or a specific subset, like middle-aged, ethnically Swedish, urban-dwelling men. The Swedish population register will be used to study long-term trends in political participation among Swedish LGBs. This paper will introduce a unique method for identifying LGB observation in a population register, using civil-status- and cohabitation registries. This is a major contribution in its own right that might facilitate future research on LGBs’ wellbeing across disciplines.