Under pressure? The influence of cross-pressures on the political attitudes and behaviors of people at the intersections of LGBT and Christian identities

While lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender (LGBT) and Christian identities are often thought of as being politically conflicting, many LGBT Americans identify as Christian. Yet, there is limited research on how these identities interact to shape the political attitudes and behaviors of people at their intersections. Even less is known about how these dynamics vary by indicators of religious belonging and religiosity. Using 2020 Cooperative Election Study data, we examine whether politically conflicting LGBT and Christian identities correspond with higher levels of three indicators of political cross-pressures: ambivalence, moderation, and disengagement. Our findings reveal inconsistent patterns. While LGBT Christians and non-religious cisgender-heterosexual people exhibit more signs of being cross-pressured than non-religious LGBT people, cisgender-heterosexual Christians were often more cross-pressured than other groups. These findings suggest that (1) the influence of cross-pressures on political attitudes and behaviors may be more complex than previously theorized, and (2) who engages in politics and vocalizes their policy preferences may have implications for whose policy preferences are enacted.