What issues do LGBT Americans care about in the US ?

It stands to reason that LGBT Americans care about equality issues – partnership rights, employment non-discrimination and the repeal of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell,” among others.  But what other political issues are important to us this year, and how do they stack up against the issues all Americans care about?

In its August 17th issue, Gay Politics Reportasked more than 20,000 readers what, beyond LGBT issues, they were most interested in this election cycle.  Out of 10 possible choices, nearly 54% chose the economy and jobs as their top concern, mirroring the results of every national poll this summer.  Health care, the environment and immigration ranked #2, #3 and #4, which is also not dissimilar to national polling.  Issues polling below 5% in the reader poll included education, poverty, abortion, crime and terrorism.

Our reader poll is not scientific.  Respondents are Gay Politics Report subscribers who are probably more politically engaged than rank and file LGBT Americans, and they chose to participate in the poll.  Still, the results suggest that our community has a lot more in common with the average American than many would like to believe.  That common ground can be useful as we work to build support among allies and dispel myths about who we are.