Culture war counter-mobilization: Gay rights and religious right groups in the states

The counter-mobilization hypothesis long ago fell on hard times. Despite its inherent plausibility, the notion has suffered from the lack of solid empirical testing and use in a wide variety of contexts. Nevertheless, counter-mobilization merits attention since it remains at the heart of pluralist theory. Without a clear response to competing interests, organizational representation of interests is a problematic concept. In this paper, we revisit the counter-mobilization hypothesis in the context of two groups often said to be key players in the culture wars – religious right and LGBT organizations – in a time period, 2001–2010, where we expect there to be responses to the other’s actions. Examining group counts in the states, we find evidence of counter-mobilization in the classic sense Truman intended. Moreover, we find a link between legislative polarization and the mutual presence of these groups that reinforces the relevance of this concept.