Rushing to the altar? Same-sex marriages when rights feel at risk

Mateus Maciel, David Zuchowski and Sara Parente

MPRA Paper from University Library of Munich, Germany

Abstract: The literature on same-sex marriage has primarily focused on the effects of legal recognition, overlooking the factors that influence marriage decisions among samesex couples. This study provides novel evidence on the role of political context by analyzing how the election of a homophobic leader affects these decisions. Using the case of Brazil, we examine the effect of revealed local support for the openly homophobic Jair Bolsonaro in the presidential elections on same-sex marriage dynamics. To estimate this effect, we apply a difference-indifferences approach with varying treatment intensity. The results show a significant increase in same-sex marriages in municipalities with higher support for Bolsonaro during the period between the election and the start of his mandate. These findings suggest that perceived threats of rights restrictions can play a critical role in shaping personal decisions among minority groups, even in the absence of legal changes.

Keywords: homophobia; political threat; sexual minority; LGBT; same-sex marriages (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: D10 D72 J12 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025-08
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-pol
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:pra:mprapa:125926

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