Unity in Diversity? LGBTQ Coalitional Identity and Linked Fate in the US, Canada, and the UK

Scholars increasingly use linked fate, or the idea that one’s own destiny is tied to the success of one’s group, to explain LGBTQ political participation and voting behavior. However, unlike most other identities referenced in linked fate questions, “LGBTQ” is a coalitional identity that explicitly recognizes distinct constituent subgroup identities (such as “lesbian”). To what extent do sexual and gender minority individuals express linked fate with the broader coalitional identity as opposed to narrower subgroup identities? We use data from three separate pre-registered survey experiments conducted in the US, Canada, and the UK. We show that sexual and gender minority respondents express at least as much linked fate with the coalitional identity as with their own specific sexual and/or gender identities. Indeed, in Canada and the UK, our evidence suggests that LGBTQ coalitional identity elicits higher levels of linked fate than narrower subgroup identities. These results imply that LGBTQ coalitional linked fate is useful for explaining LGBTQ political behavior.