The attitudinal and organizational roots of LGB incorporation in the Democratic Party, 1980–2012

LGB rights and inclusion have been a site of intense conflict in the Democratic Party since the 1970s. While Democrats have been embroiled in intraparty conflict, the Republican Party has opposed LGB rights. This asymmetrical conflict raises questions about the incorporation of LGB people into the party system. Who in the Democratic Party coalition supported their inclusion, and what explains their entrenched marginal position in the party? Using time series, cross-sectional data from the Convention Delegate Studies between 1980 and 2012, I demonstrate that LGB people’s best allies were delegates with sympathetic attitudes about or membership in organizations representing marginalized groups. I also find that pro-LGB forces were less likely to support winning primary candidates, and that Democratic Party delegates with anti-LGB attitudes support downplaying issues and minimizing disagreements to win elections. The evidence also shows a divide between pro-LGB forces and labor. Finally, while ideology is associated with intraparty conflict, delegates’ anti-gay attitudes also explain LGB people’s marginal position in the Democratic Party over time.