Until recently, little was known about the participation of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) people in American democracy. Historically, most of the national surveys and polls have failed to ask identifying questions on sexual orientation, making it difficult for researchers to track down participation trends among this population.
This situation, however, is beginning to change. More and more polling organizations are including questions on LGBT status, and others are specifically conducting national surveys on the political behavior of LGBT individuals. …
This memo summarizes the findings of recent research on this subject to identify important gaps in our knowledge. First, it describes the data available, and discusses what the research shows about the demographics of the LGBT community. This is followed by a discussion of what is known about the political participation of LGBT people (i.e., voter registration, party identification), and concludes with questions for further research. CONT.
Vanessa M. Perez, Project Vote