Event

Pride Amid Prejudice: The Impact of LGBT+ Rights Activism in a Socially Conservative Society

Date
26 Oct 2021
Time
15:30 UK time
Speakers
Philip Ayoub
Where
Nuffield College, Clay Room (speaker joining online), New Road OX1 1NF
Series
Nuffield College Political Science Seminars
Audience
Members of the University only
Booking
Not required
Speaker joining online in Clay Room
Join Zoom Meeting
https://bsg.zoom.us/j/91663686066?pwd=QWNHVEY4YzhWMUtvMHZmN0RKQWsyQT09

Meeting ID: 916 6368 6066
Passcode: 322203
Joint work with: Douglas Page (Gettysburg College) and Samuel Whitt (High Point University)

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 regardingLGBT+ 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.