Reexamining Context and Same-Sex Marriage: The Effect of Demography on Public Support for Same-Sex Relationship Recognition

Abstract

Lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) people reside in practically every geographic region in the United States, with substantial variation regarding what proportion of that region is populated with LGB people. Given this variation, I analyze whether denser LGB congressional districts have an effect on individuals’ views on relationship recognition rights for same-sex couples. LGB population density could have two potential effects: normalizing contact or contextual threat. I find that as the LGB population density in legislative districts increases, so too does the probability of individuals supporting relationship rights for same-sex couples. As the results indicate, context does not increase threat.