Title
The Religious Dynamics of Decision Making on Gay Rights Issues in the U.S. House of Representatives, 1993-2002
Abstract
In recent decades, homosexuality has emerged as a truly national political issue. As a result, the U.S. Congress is increasingly called upon to consider and set policy on an array of issues related to the status of gay men and lesbians. This article investigates legislator decision making pertaining to gay issues in the U.S. House of Representatives. Specifically, we examine the effect of several indicators on legislator support for progressive gay policies, including ideology, partisanship, and the characteristics of district religious affiliation. We use additive indices of legislator support for progressive gay policies, and use logit and ordered logit to derive estimates of influence. The findings indicate that even while legislator partisanship and ideology largely structure decision making, legislators are also highly responsive to the presence of conservative Protestants and (to a lesser extent) Roman Catholics in their constituency.
Department(s)
Political Science
Document Type
Article
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1468-5906.2007.00340.x
Publication Date
2007
Recommended Citation
Oldmixon, Elizabeth Anne, and Brian Robert Calfano. "The religious dynamics of decision making on gay rights issues in the US House of Representatives, 1993–2002." Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion 46, no. 1 (2007): 55-70.
Journal Title
Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion
