It’s an accepted norm that gays tend to be more politically liberal, for obvious reasons, and that young people are more liberal than their older counterparts. You’d expect, then, that young gays would be among the most liberal of demographics. But in France, the opposite appears to be true.
Hornet, a gay social network, recently surveyed its French users about the country’s upcoming national election for president, which pits left-leaning Emmanuel Macron against hard-right fringe candidate Marine Le Pen. More than 5,000 users were questioned, with about half under 30 and half over. Those 18–29 supported Le Pen with about 45 percent; those over 30 supported her only 35 percent, which is in line with national polling in general. And over 50? Her support dropped to 20 percent.
Even the 20 percent seems staggering to me, since she is an overly racist, homophobic, right-wing nut job by all accounts. But in some ways, the idea that older gay men are more woke about Le Pen does make some kind of sense: They have had to fight for decades for rights younger people probably take for granted, and older demos are typically more engaged in politics. It’s a sad state, though, that younger people cannot see to vote in their own best interests.
The run-off election is Sunday.