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Andrew Proctor (he/him) is an Assistant Instructional Professor of Political Science in MAPSS. At the University of Chicago, he teaches courses on lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) politics in the United States, identity politics, survey research and quantitative methods. He also offers a research practicum course where he works with students to collaboratively conduct research on topics in American politics.  

Professor Proctor’s research draws on interdisciplinary perspectives and methods to advance our understanding of inequality in the United States and its intersections with the politics of sexuality, gender, race, and class. He studies how institutionalized inequalities affect the political experiences of the members of marginalized communities. His work is motivated by a broad interest in explaining how power and marginalization shape and are shaped by politics and uses a multi-method approach that includes both qualitative, observational, and experimental methodologies. Professor Proctor’s work has been published in leading journals in political science, including the American Political Science Review, American Journal of Political Science, Political Research Quarterly, Politics Groups, & Identities, Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics, and Sage Open. You can learn more about his work on his website: www.atproctor.com. 

Professor Proctor’s current book project, “Coming out to vote: The political construction of sexuality and gender identity,” examines how the two-party system in the United States constituted a lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) political constituency and collective identities. Using interest group archival records, newspapers, political party platforms, campaign materials, and original survey data, the book demonstrates how representation in the party system constituted sexuality and gender identity as categories of political identification. The project shows how groups and collective identities form through endogenous political processes shaped by power. In doing so, “Coming out to vote” challenges conventional wisdoms that political parties reflect exogenous group interests.