There are some interesting things in E.J. Graff's New
Republic column on why nearly one in four gay voters chose Bush
(online, but only for New Republic subscribers). She
writes:
Bush winning 23 percent of the gay, lesbian, and bisexual vote isn't all that surprising. And the inclination to find it surprising rests on a fundamental misunderstanding of the gay and lesbian community.
LGBT voters aren't like any other interest group. Aside from being attracted to the same sex, we have nothing in common. And I mean nothing: not our color, religion, region, culture, community, class, educational aspirations, or politics....
The Rapid City, South Dakota, lesbian moms whose idea of a big Friday night is to get all dolled up for the greyhound races and a meal at Denny's simply do not have the same political point of view as Dupont Circle lobbyists or Berkeley activists. This becomes clear when you break down gay votes by region. In the South, for instance, 32 percent of lesbian, gay, and bisexual voters went for Bush; in the East, a far less surprising 8 percent did.
The heart of the matter, I think, is whether being gay is your
primary cultural identity or just one aspect of who you are. Or
maybe gay GOP voters just felt Bush was the better choice for the
nation overall, and took Kerry at his word that there was "no
difference" between his opposition to gay marriage and
Bush's.
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