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The Costs of Pride: Survey Results from LGBTQI Activists in the United States, United Kingdom, South Africa, and Australia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 June 2019

Christopher Pepin-Neff Open the ORCID record for Christopher Pepin-Neff [Opens in a new window]  and
Thomas Wynter
Thomas Wynter
Affiliation:
University of Sydney
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Abstract

A comparative analysis of emotional taxation was conducted to investigate the affective cost of entering the political process among 1,019 lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (LGBTQI) activists in the United States (n = 355), the United Kingdom (n = 230), South Africa (n = 228), and Australia (n = 206). Four consistent trends were identified across these four contexts, with important implications for the study of social movements, youth activism, gender, sexuality, and race. First, levels of emotional taxation resulting from LGBTQI activist work were consistently very high. Second, emotional burdens were systematically greater for young, nonwhite, and transgender activists. Third, emotional taxation was compounded for activists whose identities crossed multiple marginalized groups. This finding supports the validity and importance of intersectional approaches to LGBTQI issues. Fourth, the sources of emotional taxation varied greatly among activists, and transgender activists were particularly stressed by public engagements such as major events and marches. Transgender nonwhite activists also indicated relatively high levels of emotional stress related to online forms of engagement, such as posting on Twitter and Facebook. These findings could help identify the kinds of activists who participate, the kinds of issues advocated for, and why certain tactics are used.

Keywords

Intersectionalitysocial movementsagenda settingemotionsemotional taxationsurvey
Type
Research Article
Information
Politics & Gender , Volume 16 , Issue 2 , June 2020 , pp. 498 - 524
Copyright
Copyright © The Women and Politics Research Section of the American Political Science Association 2019

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