Race, Same-Sex Marriage, and the Politics of Respectability among Lesbian, Gay, and Bisexual Racial Minorities

Abstract

ABSTRACT Although support for the legalization of same-sex marriage was widely shared among the LGB community, the reasons for that support among LGB individuals from different socio-demographic backgrounds are poorly understood. To fill this gap, I investigate the relationship between race and perceptions of same-sex marriage legalization among LGB racial minorities. Drawing from the 2010 Social Justice Sexuality survey, two major findings emerge: First, respondents’ perception of homophobia in their respective racial communities is the most significant predictor of their perceived impact of same-sex marriage legalization. Second, characteristics explaining LGB racial minorities’ perceptions of same-sex marriage legalization are racially distinctive. Results are interpreted through a lens of the “politics of respectability” contributing to our understanding of intersectional stigmas and the social construction of race.