At last week’s Republican National Convention (RNC) in Cleveland, there were reports that a lot of sex was going on behind the scenes—a lot of gay sex to be precise. For example, during the convention, usage of the all-male hookup app Grindr was
more than twice as high as usual in the Cleveland area. But it wasn’t just that—male escorts in the Cleveland area also
reported booming business for the week.
Media outlets were quick to point out the irony, considering that this year’s Republican party platform is unabashedly anti-gay, with the Log Cabin Republicans (the gay branch of the party) going as far as to call it the “
most anti-LGBT…in the Party’s 162-year history.”
i's opinion newsletter: talking points from today
While all of this is certainly interesting, what I found to be missing in all the media reports coming out was a look at
why—why would so many gay and bisexual people attend a political convention for a party that formally opposes so many LGBT causes?
Social psychological research can offer a few insights.