Despite growing representation of LGBTQ+ individuals in elected office, little is known about the strategic considerations that influence when and how these politicians choose to disclose their sexual orientation and gender identity during campaigns. This study examines the determinants of LGBTQ+ candidate visibility in Brazil’s 2024 municipal elections. Leveraging individual-level candidate data that includes optional disclosure of their sexuality and gender identity, and data capturing municipal-level electoral competition dynamics, we analyse the conditions under which LGBTQ+ candidates choose visibility over strategic concealment. Our approach allows us to examine how individual-level factors, such as partisan affiliation and electoral experience, as well as local-level factors, such as political competition and electoral conservatism, shape disclosure decisions. We test competing theoretical frameworks about candidate strategy and visibility, examining whether LGBTQ+ candidates face systematic disadvantages that influence their disclosure choices. The research addresses fundamental questions about the intersection of identity and electoral strategy, contributing to theories of descriptive representation and the political inclusion of sexual and gender minorities. This work offers new insights into how marginalised groups navigate electoral politics and the conditions that facilitate authentic representation in democratic institutions.
