🚀 go-pugleaf

Ken,
I have not shortened or edited your comments as I find them insightful and
right on que as to the need for further research into this population.  From
some studies that I have seen (for instance NY Times/NBC Portrait of the
Electorate), they tend to be Democratly oriented, but this appears not to be
a strong partisan orientation, as opposed to Blacks.  From news accounts,
several gay/lesbian people connected (biologically) are well connected with
Republican leaders and have strongly conservative partisan orientations
themselves (Republican).  Perhaps I am also influenced by a former
Congressional candidate I did some work for who played to the gay / lesbian
community and I tried to tell him that his assumption of partisan
homogenitity is ill infomed -- he figured it out when he got trounced at the
polls.  From my experience, gay/lesbian friends of mine are pretty much
across the board regarding ideology, mores, social values, religion, race,
education, lifestyles, etc.  In other words, they appear, at least to me, to
be pretty much normal homosapians (no puns intended).

My wife and I were talking about this tonight and what is the difference
between a homosexual relationship, and me being sexually oriented towards
slender or fat or bald or blond or dark haired women.  Seems to be to be
pretty much what turns someone on.  And from my anti-war experience in
prison, I can attest that a number of gay men I met were very macho (one was
the former heavy weight lifting champ in the Midwest).  That was the only
point I was trying very seriously to make.  Perhaps we, as a society, make
too much over things that are really none of our business (my preference).
I however am curious if orientation does have an effect on policy or other
forms of decision-making?  And what efect does it have on attitudes such as
self-esteem, empowerment, etc.  I find these interesting psychological
questions, with potential policy ramifications.

Mike S.
=======================================================
At 08:48 PM 3/16/95 -0500, Ken Sherrill wrote:
>Mike-
>
>I was not suggesting that students of LGB politics study family structures --
>although that might interest some of our colleagues. I would raise questions
>of this sort:
>
>Why are people prejudiced (or not prejudiced) toward LGB people?
>
>What is the nature of mass attitudes? Are such attitudes structured? By what?
>Are they related to political participation, turnout, electoral decisions, etc.
>
>What are the mechanisms by which LGB people come to view themselves as a politi
>cal class? Is it related to political identity or consciousness? How does it
>comparre to our understanding of ethnic and racial politics?
>
>Do LGB people share a sense of common grievance? Is there a political agenda? H
>ow widely is it accepted? What structures it? Is it related to partisan
>behavior or attitudes? How does such a sense of shared grievance develop?
>
>What sorts of jurisdictions enact non-discrimination legislation? How does that
>fit into our more general theories of same?
>
>What about legislative roll-call?
>
>What about congruence between leaders and followers?
>
>Why does it push buttons for the radical right?
>
>How does discovery of sexual orientation fit with our theories of socialization
>into politics?
>
>Is there an identifiable gay vote?
>
>Why does there seem to be a relationship between sexual orientation and posi-
>tion on a left-right continuum?
>
>How does one pull a good sample of LGB people?
>
>What are the consequences of the assumption of universal heterosexuality on
>the psychological, social, and political development of lgb people?
>
>And so on.
>
>One need not be a homosexual to study these questions.
>
>Ken
>

=======================================================
Michael A. Schoenfield                             maschoen@students.wisc.edu
Michael A. Schoenfield & Associates     (608) 238-6121  Voice
University of Wisconsin - Madison
2637 Mason St.
Madison, WI 53705-3709