Bound Together, Apart: Subgroup Identity and the Limits of LGBTQ+ Linked Fate

Scholarship on LGBTQ+ politics often treats the LGBTQ+ community as a unified coalition, but do LGBTQ+ individuals identify with their specific subgroup or with the coalition broadly? I compare subgroup-specific linked fates with coalition linked fate to measure deviation from equal attachment to subgroup and coalition linked fate. I find that the majority of respondents hold both identities equally or favor coalition identity more strongly. Intragroup discrimination is the strongest predictor of linked fate but in a counterintuitive direction. Greater internal exclusion is associated with stronger coalition linked fate rather than driving retreat into subgroup identity. Community tenure, coming out context, and cumulative privilege do not significantly predict subgroup deviation, though cisgender status independently does, showing an asymmetric structure of coalition dependence in which the most marginalized are more invested in the coalition. My findings suggest that the coalition is more resilient than prevailing narratives of fragmentation imply.