Pink triangles in the ballot box?
This article explores the role of sexuality and sexual belonging in the relationship of gays and lesbians in France to electoral politics and voting. Based on semi-structured interviews with 90 individuals who self-identify as gay or lesbian, it shows that the role played by sexuality in their relationship to politics is shaped by their individual politicization. More specifically, the role of sexuality and sexual belonging in gay and lesbian individuals’ relationship to electoral politics results from the interactions between their political competence, their value system, and their dynamic of conflictualization around sexuality. This role is thus not a linear or automatic one. Social class in particular plays a key role, by modulating the conflictualization of sexuality and sexual belonging.
- sexual minorities
- lavender vote
- political competence
- gay and lesbian
- politicization
- conflictualization