# But Can a Gay Man Make It In the South? **URL:** \ **Category:** Politics & Elections\ **Created:** [February 13, 2020, 9:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868 "2020-02-13T09:50:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868/21 "2020-02-13T18:53:44Z")
> [@Beckdawrek](#): > > I live in the deep south. Red state Arkansas. He’ll have a steep climg here, IMHO. > I’m not exactly where the pulse beats but there are a bunch of gun toting, Trumper rednecks. > It will be an interesting number to see. Oklahoma hated Clinton so much they went with Bernie. And Cruz over Trump. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868/22 "2020-02-13T18:58:36Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > I live in a rural county in North Carolina. We had a legislator here named R.C. Soles. You can look him up if you’re interested, but while he wasn’t out, it was widely assumed that he was gay. There was a mountain of circumstantial evidence that indicated this. He kept getting elected, but I heard more than one person using homophobic language about him, saying things like, “he’s a queer, but he’s our queer.” I don’t think local folks will be receptive to an out, gay man from somewhere else. Speaking of this, I saw a post from someone who lives in South Carolina (can’t even remember if it was on this site or not) who said that “everybody” there knew Lindsay Graham is gay, but didn’t care. Again, he was “their” gay. Does anyone from SC agree with that? ---
**Author:** ![lel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8797f3/32.png) [@lel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lel)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868/23 "2020-02-13T18:58:43Z")
> [@Oakminster](#): > > In my part of the South, his biggest problem is the “(D)” next to his name. Democrats now rank below child molesters and atheists in this area. His gun policy won’t help, but the (D) is a nail in his coffin. Voters here simply will not look past his party affiliation before rejecting him. Do you think a gay Republican would be electable in the South? ---
**Author:** ![pjacks](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/e19adc/32.png) [@pjacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pjacks)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 7:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868/24 "2020-02-13T19:03:20Z")
> [@lel](#): > > Do you think a gay Republican would be electable in the South? Lindsay Graham has been getting elected just fine in South Carolina for decades. No one on earth is under the illusion that he is a straight man. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868/25 "2020-02-13T19:06:01Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Buttigieg being gay certainly isn’t an advantage, but then again it doesn’t even help him in the gay community. But, he is the front runner as of today and has the same record as Bernie with winning one state and a strong second in the other. It’s far easier to back a winner. Wow, that’s some world class spinning. I don’t remember even the most starry-eyed Bernie supporters in 2016 trying to claim that his pledged delegate lead after New Hampshire made him “the front runner”. It’s gonna be hard for you to top this. ---
**Author:** ![Thing\_Fish](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/ecb155/32.png) [@Thing\_Fish](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thing_Fish)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868/26 "2020-02-13T19:07:02Z")
> [@dalej42](#): > > Really? Posting Bernie propaganda? I guess Bros gotta Bro. But he manages it! Calling _Velocity_ a “Bernie Bro” ROTFL. ---
**Author:** ![lel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8797f3/32.png) [@lel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lel)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868/27 "2020-02-13T19:12:10Z")
> [@pjacks](#): > > Lindsay Graham has been getting elected just fine in South Carolina for decades. No one on earth is under the illusion that he is a straight man. His sexuality is “Lips permanently attached to Trump’s rear end.” I’m not so much convinced that’s gay as just one really messed up fetish. ---
**Author:** ![BobLibDem](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/boblibdem/32/3149_2.png) [@BobLibDem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BobLibDem)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868/28 "2020-02-13T19:21:06Z")
> [@pjacks](#): > > Lindsay Graham has been getting elected just fine in South Carolina for decades. No one on earth is under the illusion that he is a straight man. Come on, he’s just waiting for the right woman. States like LA, MS, and AL would much sooner vote for a lesbian black woman Republican before they’d vote for a Democrat of any gender or sexual preference. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Drake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ad7895/32.png) [@Dr.Drake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Drake)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 7:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868/29 "2020-02-13T19:55:17Z")
> [@Bill\_Door](#): > > I live in a rural county in North Carolina. We had a legislator here named R.C. Soles. You can look him up if you’re interested, but while he wasn’t out, it was widely assumed that he was gay. There was a mountain of circumstantial evidence that indicated this. He kept getting elected, but I heard more than one person using homophobic language about him, saying things like, “he’s a queer, but he’s our queer.” I don’t think local folks will be receptive to an out, gay man from somewhere else. I think the fact that he’s not out (as with L. Graham) is key here. Our gays can be as gay as they like, as long as they know their place. Buttegieg is out, and that’s a huge difference. I think we’ve made great strides, but I genuinely don’t think a gay candidate will win in the South OR the Midwest. And, as a gay man, I am really, really not looking forward to the backlash against gay people that will come when Trump re-embigots the nation. He’s doing really well, though I fear the lavender ceiling will keep him down. My 75-year-old Catholic aunt is voting for him, so there’s one anecdatapoint. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868/30 "2020-02-13T20:08:56Z")
> [@Jim\_B](#): > > As I write this thread, there is a very good chance Pete Buttigieg will be the Democratic presidential nominee for 2020. He probably made it in Iowa. He was second in New Hampshire. Big deal. So was Hillary and her husband. > > And I have nothing against that. I am gay myself. Why should I? > > Just one thing bothers me: Could a gay candidate make it thru the South? > > I think he would get a pretty fare chance in the rest of the nation. All the old homophobes have died (sorry, but it’s true). Now, Generation X and Millenials dominate our country. In fact, last I heard, most Americans (even R. Catholics, interestingly) support gay marriage. > > But then there’s the South. > > How would he fair there? And I know it’s not in my title, but while we’re at it, how would he fare with African Americans? They seem open-minded enough. But the they tend to be more religious, which could mean anything (cf. the Catholic note above). > > So how would he do, with these unique groups? And would he get enough support to overcome any regional bias? > > :):):):):):)🙂 Which Democratic candidate can win in the south? I’m pretty sure we write off that part of the country as a lost cause except Virginia and North Carolina and maybe Georgia this time around. ---
**Author:** ![dalej42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/67e7ee/32.png) [@dalej42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dalej42)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 8:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868/31 "2020-02-13T20:28:35Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > Which Democratic candidate can win in the south? > > I’m pretty sure we write off that part of the country as a lost cause except Virginia and North Carolina and maybe Georgia this time around. I think the OP was intending to address the primaries but I’m not sure. The south does have a lot of delegates and that’s how Clinton started her steamroll over Sanders 2016 even though those states were going Republican in the General ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868/32 "2020-02-13T21:15:25Z")
In my YT algorithim circles…Pete’s sexuality has been brought up exactly one time…when some bigoted delegate was shocked to find out. So: 1. I live in a bubble or 2. Its early…give Trump time, he’ll make some sort of effeminate gesture when talking about him 3. Maybe we’ve all made great steps when the knock on Pete is that African Americans don’t like him cause he said something like “I don’t want your vote”…he’s too centrist…he’s in bed with corporations that want to steal the election from Bernie. All these things get mentioned before his sexuality\*\*\* \*\*\* From (3) it shouldn’t be too hard to get the tenor of the YT videos that appear on my feed. I’m not saying they’re true or i agree with them. Just saying thats what YT sends me. That and THOUSANDS OF FUCKING ADS FROM THAT LIZARD FACE BLOOMBERG GOD I HATE HIM. ---
**Author:** ![Doyle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doyle/32/439_2.png) [@Doyle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doyle)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 9:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868/33 "2020-02-13T21:23:09Z")
> [@BobLibDem](#): > > Come on, he’s just waiting for the right woman. > > States like LA, MS, and AL would much sooner vote for a lesbian black woman Republican before they’d vote for a Democrat of any gender or sexual preference. One time where you actually might be right. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 10:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868/34 "2020-02-13T22:37:21Z")
This is a poll from September of last year. > **[What We Actually Know About ‘Electability’](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-we-actually-know-about-electability/)** > > Welcome to Secret Identity, our regular column on identity and its role in politics and policy. In the last edition of this column we looked at “electability” a… 14 percent of Democrats say that they would not vote for a gay candidate (38 percent of GOP and 24 percent overall) Interestingly 38% of Democrats would not vote for a socialist (73 percent of Republicans and 50 percent overall) If you keep breaking it down, 4% of Dems would not vote for a black candidate and 3% not for a woman. (overall 8% would not vote for a woman and 7% not vote for a black candidate). So in a Dem primary, Mayor Pete has a 10 point deficit against a black candidate, 9 against a woman, and 14 against a straight white non-socialist male. If those numbers are true, however, Bernie is in real trouble when the field winnows. Further, these are national numbers. I’m sure that the anti-gay bias is higher in the south, even among Dems and especially among blacks. ---
**Author:** ![Velocity](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/velocity/32/18006_2.png) [@Velocity](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Velocity)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 10:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868/35 "2020-02-13T22:38:54Z")
> [@UltraVires](#): > > This is a poll from September of last year. > > [What We Actually Know About ‘Electability’ | FiveThirtyEight](https://fivethirtyeight.com/features/what-we-actually-know-about-electability/) > > 14 percent of Democrats say that they would not vote for a gay candidate (38 percent of GOP and 24 percent overall) > > Interestingly 38% of Democrats would not vote for a socialist (73 percent of Republicans and 50 percent overall) > > If you keep breaking it down, 4% of Dems would not vote for a black candidate and 3% not for a woman. (overall 8% would not vote for a woman and 7% not vote for a black candidate). > > So in a Dem primary, Mayor Pete has a 10 point deficit against a black candidate, 9 against a woman, and 14 against a straight white non-socialist male. If those numbers are true, however, Bernie is in real trouble when the field winnows. > > Further, these are national numbers. I’m sure that the anti-gay bias is higher in the south, even among Dems and especially among blacks. Whatever people say now doesn’t matter much in November, though. Come Election Day, the choice is stark: Our Guy or Their Guy. People will swallow almost anything bad about their candidate when they’re in that voting booth. Because by that point, the only other alternative is The Other Guy. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868/36 "2020-02-13T22:44:41Z")
> [@Velocity](#): > > Whatever people say now doesn’t matter much in November, though. Come Election Day, the choice is stark: Our Guy or Their Guy. People will swallow almost anything bad about their candidate when they’re in that voting booth. Because by that point, the only other alternative is The Other Guy. I very much agree, however, I interpreted the OP to be asking about the primary. It would be silly to ask about a Dem gay candidates chance in the south in the general election. No Dem period has much of a chance in the south except for possibly Georgia and Florida (which doesn’t count as southern). ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 10:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868/37 "2020-02-13T22:49:29Z")
North Carolina is also a possibility - it went for Obama in 2008. ---
**Author:** ![Bijou\_Drains](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bijou_drains/32/2814_2.png) [@Bijou\_Drains](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bijou_Drains)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 11:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868/38 "2020-02-13T23:14:03Z")
I am in NC and no way gay man wins here. Maybe in another 12 years or so ---
**Author:** ![ISiddiqui](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/97f17d/32.png) [@ISiddiqui](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ISiddiqui)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2020, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868/39 "2020-02-13T23:59:25Z")
Well he said no Dem period, not necessarily a gay Dem. Sent from my Pixel 4 XL using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2020, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868/40 "2020-02-14T01:58:08Z")
The problem is going to be turnout. While they may consider Pete to be preferable to Trump, will the African American community see enough of a difference to be motivated to vote? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/but-can-a-gay-man-make-it-in-the-south/847868.md?page=3)