Trusted Authorities and Changing Minds on anti-LGBTQ Norms: Perspectives from West Africa.

Can trusted authorities change minds on anti-LGBTQI+ norms in African societies? In Ghana and Nigeria, the majority of the public are opposed to LGBTQI+ rights. As a result, political leaders have the incentive to cave to public opinion because of fear of electoral consequences. But Ghana and Nigeria’s political context are highly polarized, and the public's political affiliations towards the country's two major political parties are equally strong. In this context, efforts by trusted authorities, in particular political leaders, to change minds puts the public's anti-LGBTQI+ norms in conflict with their political affiliations. In this study, we examine whether the public alters their political affiliations if they are inconsistent with their moral norms. How the public balances their deeply held anti-LGBTQI+ norms and their political affiliations give political leaders open to making progress on LBGTQI+ rights, or not supporting an anti-LGBTQ+ legislation, useful information to manage their political behavior. The study contributes to scholarship on political behavior in Africa, which is generally understudied or is restricted to a limited number of issues. Using Ghana and Nigeria as a case to examine how anti-LBGTQI+ norms as deeply held moral norms interact with and influence the public’s electoral behavior, we provide insights into understanding the issue in other countries with similar contexts.