How does the "gay lobby" have such a huge presence in American politics despite being such a tiny demographic?

I can understand your being confused. You believe that every other straight person in America regards gays the same way you do. Thus, you don't understand that the "gay lobby" is made up of a whole bunch of straight Americans, which is why they have the "power" they do. I'd ask you what frightens you, but your answers would be as irrational as your question.

I'm gay and have never heard of this gay lobby. Do you mean like the Human Rights Campaign and Lambda Legal?

It may be a large issue because other minorities largely enjoy the same legal protections that the majority does, whereas LGBT individuals do not. For example, anti-discrimination policies typically include race, religion, etc. For LGBT individuals, this isn't the case. We can be denied housing because of our sexual orientation or gender identity, we can be fired on the spot for it, etc.

Because it is regarding civil rights. Determining that civil rights have been denied to even one citizen is quite a big deal in our country, much less 10% of the population.

They've spent decades getting the right people into positions of power. People that would declare anything they asked for to be settled science. Not mentally ill? Okay! Better parents than heterosexuals? Sure, that too! Extremely low rates of pedophilia? We can say that too! NOW, give us our SPECIAL RIGHTS!

simple.... the importance of "target marketing" in the Mega-Media Age...

with the formation of the Mega-Media Corporations in the 1990s, media outlets focused less on broad, mass appeal and more on appealing to segments that were smaller but more predictable and loyal in their buying/spending habits...

...this is the reason why FOX, the WB and CW networks all launched with prime-time programing targeted at black audiences...and why the successes of shows like "Living Single," "Roc," and "In Living Color" were a major factor in giving FOX a boost over the other "newcomer" networks of that period...

....the "gay demographic" was a "fat" target because the homosexual community was seen as successful, affluent and highly consumerist (they spent a lot on themselves because they did not have "traditional" family needs like saving for kids' college funds, etc.)...

...gay-friendly programming was seen as the "hook" to develop brand loyalty..... politics simply followed the same strategy...

...just as a TV network being "pro gay" in appearance earned the loyalty of many consumers who didn't seem to care about other corporate policies...politicians doing the same could earn the loyalty of voters who did not seem to care about other political policies...

...the great irony...of course... is that as "acceptance" has increased, gays generally are no longer seen a segment that "has money to burn"... they now have families to support and all the normal expenses and budget worries of "mainstream" families..

...thus the shift to even narrower segments in both politics and the media (and the addition of the "B" and "T" to what used to be "LG" or GL" issues)...

see.... you can learn a lot from the TV.....

...you just need to think ABOUT it rather than letting it think for you...

Libshit echo chamber media.

Liberal media.