Gays and lesbians in local races : a study of electoral viability

R. Herrick, S. Thomas

Although Iesbians and gays are more visible in the political arena than in the past, there is little published research on their electoraI viability. This article helps to fill that void by presenting results of experimental research featuring respondents' reactions to a hypotheticaI candidate for a non-partisan city counciI seat. Sex and sexual orientation of the candidates were manipulated so that six categories were tested: a straight woman, a Iesbian, a woman rumored to be lesbian, a straight man, a gay man, and a man rumored to be gay. The findings suggest that openly gay and Iesbian candidates are seen as Iess viabIe than straight candidates or those rumored to be homosexuaI. Hence, the extent to which a candidate portrays his or her sexuaI orientation appears to make a difference in the chance to win elective office.