2015年经济学人 同性恋投票 公之于众

The gay vote

Coming out

The Conservative Party is winning over some gay voters

True pink

WHEN the Conservative prime minister, David Cameron, decided¹ to champion same-sex marriage in 2011, many of his backbenchers were horrified².

The pledge was not in his manifesto³; the softer aspects of his election campaign were more focused on green issues and helping⁴ wayward youths than on gay rights.

When, in 2014, the act passed into law, 133 Conservatives voted against it and many disgruntled activists⁵ left the party.

But, as he seeks re-election, Mr Cameron's gamble may gradually be paying off.

Around 6% of the British population are estimated to be gay.

But little definitive⁶ statistical⁷ evidence exists on how they vote, says Joe Twyman, of YouGov, a pollster.

Generally, he says, they tend to be slightly less fond of the Conservatives than is the population as a whole,

and slightly more likely to support Labour or the bedraggled Liberal Democrats⁸.

In a YouGov poll of gay, lesbian and bisexual people last year, two-thirds of those asked said that they would not vote for an MP who had voted against same-sex marriage (the other third said they would).

But it is not their biggest concern: like the broader population, the economy and health care are the most pressing issues, says Mr Twyman.

Yet the passing of the same-sex marriage act seems to have given David Cameron and some members of his party, such as the gay-friendlyLondonmayor Boris Johnson (pictured), a boost.

“It made me less anti-Tory,” admits Tom Chinnery, a 32-year-old from Manchesterwho married his husband six weeks ago.

Mr Chinnery was struck by Mr Cameron “standing up” to more traditional party members.

His disagreement with the Tories is now restricted to their policies on Europe and the economy.

This may help the Conservatives: a self-selected poll of 986 people from PinkNews, a website,

in April found that 26% would consider voting for the Conservatives, up from 21% in 2010.

The change in the law also made those who had previously⁹ voted for the party feel more confident to continue doing so, argues Margot James,

the Conservative MP for Stourbridge, who is gay. The passing of the act, along with more funds for tackling homophobic bullying¹⁰ in schools,

“redressed the balance with Labour”, she says. Differences between the two parties over questions of gay rights and equality have become less marked as a result.

But perhaps the biggest boost for the party is yet to come. After the same-sex marriage vote, Philip Cowley,

a psephologist¹¹ at the University of Nottingham, worked out that 58% of Conservative MPs born after 1970 voted for it,

in contrast to 45% of those born before that year. Younger people are more likely to be socially liberal and to support same-sex marriage.

Undecided future voters are less likely to see the Conservatives as the nasty party on gay issues.

And gay people who might once have been furtive¹² in voting for them can now be bolder about their choice.

After all, for some, coming out as a Conservative may once have been as hard as coming out as gay.

1 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

2 horrified   

a.(表现出)恐惧的

参考例句：

• The whole country was horrified by the killings. 全国都对这些凶杀案感到大为震惊。
• We were horrified at the conditions prevailing in local prisons. 地方监狱的普遍状况让我们震惊。

3 manifesto   

n.宣言，声明

参考例句：

• I was involved in the preparation of Labour's manifesto.我参与了工党宣言的起草工作。
• His manifesto promised measures to protect them.他在宣言里保证要为他们采取保护措施。

4 helping   

n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的

参考例句：

• The poor children regularly pony up for a second helping of my hamburger. 那些可怜的孩子们总是要求我把我的汉堡包再给他们一份。
• By doing this, they may at times be helping to restore competition. 这样一来, 他在某些时候,有助于竞争的加强。

5 activists   

n.（政治活动的）积极分子，活动家( activist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
• Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 definitive   

adj.确切的，权威性的；最后的，决定性的

参考例句：

• This book is the definitive guide to world cuisine.这本书是世界美食的权威指南。
• No one has come up with a definitive answer as to why this should be so.至于为什么该这样，还没有人给出明确的答复。

7 statistical   

adj.统计的，统计学的

参考例句：

• He showed the price fluctuations in a statistical table.他用统计表显示价格的波动。
• They're making detailed statistical analysis.他们正在做具体的统计分析。

8 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。

10 bullying   

v.恐吓，威逼( bully的现在分词 )；豪；跋扈

参考例句：

• Many cases of bullying go unreported . 很多恐吓案件都没有人告发。
• All cases of bullying will be severely dealt with. 所有以大欺小的情况都将受到严肃处理。 来自《简明英汉词典》

11 psephologist   

n.[法] 选举学家

参考例句：

12 furtive   

adj.鬼鬼崇崇的，偷偷摸摸的

参考例句：

• The teacher was suspicious of the student's furtive behaviour during the exam.老师怀疑这个学生在考试时有偷偷摸摸的行为。
• His furtive behaviour aroused our suspicion.他鬼鬼祟祟的行为引起了我们的怀疑。