Equal Seats, Unequal Power: LGBTQ Legislators and Institutional Inequality in State Legislatures

The number of openly LGBTQ legislators serving in American state legislatures has increased substantially over the last two decades, yet descriptive representation does not necessarily translate into equal institutional power. This study examines whether LGBTQ legislators possess the same opportunities for legislative influence as their non-LGBTQ counterparts. Drawing on theories of representation and institutional gatekeeping, the paper argues that inequalities in policymaking influence emerge less through electoral exclusion and more through disparities in access to leadership positions, agenda-setting authority, and legislative networks.