SUPPORT FOR CONFRONTATIONAL TACTICS AMONG AIDS ACTIVISTS - A STUDY OFINTRA-MOVEMENT DIVISIONS

Theory: Expectations about why groups and social movements differ in t erms of their support for confrontational tactics can be applied to su bgroups within a larger set of political activists. Hypotheses: Politi cal distrust, personal suffering, ideological intensity, and divergent social locations encourage support for ACT-UP and disruptive politica l tactics among AIDS activists, with strong mediating effects being ex erted by sexual orientation. Methods: The data are based on a 1992 nat ional mail survey of AIDS activists. OLS regression was used to analyz e the sample as a whole and the subsamples of gay and straight respond ents. Results: Whereas distrust and dissatisfaction had a small impact , personal suffering, ideological commitment, and divergent social loc ations tended to increase support for disruptive behavior. These relat ionships differed, however, among gays and straights due to their imme rsion in disparate social networks and milieus. The results highlight the importance of within-movement heterogeneity.