A new study from Northwestern University in Chicago suggests that voter acceptance of gay candidates has reached historic levels, yet a different form of bias has emerged: candidates who don't conform to traditional gender presentation face significant electoral penalties, even among progressive voters.

What the research found

Political science professor Martin Naunov conducted two survey experiments with nearly 2,600 participants, asking them to evaluate hypothetical congressional candidates from their own party. Using headshots and audio campaign messages, researchers manipulated both the candidates' apparent sexual orientation (signaled through references to a spouse's gender) and their gender presentation (masculinized or feminized). The study, published in the Journal of Politics, revealed striking patterns: being identified as gay dropped a candidate's support by seven percentage points, while a gender nonconforming appearance cost another seven points.

Perhaps most surprising, both Democratic and Republican voters penalized gender nonconformity at roughly the same rate. Naunov found that straight male candidates who sounded or looked even slightly feminine also suffered electoral consequences.

What it means

The findings suggest a significant cultural shift in how voters evaluate candidates. "We used to refuse to elect gay people," Naunov noted. "Now we elect them, but so long as they conform to a very particular version of masculinity." The bias against gender nonconforming appearance functions as a de facto penalty for candidates who deviate from narrow norms of how men should look, sound, or move.

What's particularly notable is that this penalty extends beyond LGBTQ+ candidates. Straight men face the same electoral cost for departing from traditional masculinity. "Traditional beliefs about how a person should look, sound and move in the world may privilege heterosexuality, but they also diminish the freedom and authenticity of everyone, including straight people," Naunov said. For the broader LGBTQ+ community, the study underscores how deeply ingrained cultural expectations around gender presentation remain, even in spaces many would consider more progressive.

Source: LGBTQ Nation

Cover photo: Mikhail Nilov / Pexels

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Study Finds Voters Still Penalize Candidates for Gender Nonconformity