Intersectionality, Linked Fate, and LGBTQ Latinx Political Participation

This article uses the concepts of intersectionality and linked fate to understand the relationship between group identification and political behavior among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) and non-LGBTQ Latinx individuals. Drawing on the 2016 Collaborative Multiracial Post-Election Survey (CMPS), we find that LGBTQ Latinx respondents report feelings of linked fate to both the Latinx and LGBTQ community, and that LGBTQ Latinx respondents exhibit more political participation than their non-LGBTQ Latinx counterparts. We then find that Latinx and LGBTQ linked fate are significant predictors of participation for non-LGBTQ respondents, and LGBTQ linked fate to predict LGBTQ Latinx participation. Finally, we provide evidence that suggests that feeling linked fate toward more than one marginalized group does not necessarily translate into participation in a greater number of political activities, demonstrating the complexity of group identification for predicting political participation. This study contributes to the theorizing of linked fate and political participation by deploying an intersectional lens that challenges assumptions of Latinx and LGBTQ intragroup political coherence and illuminates the complex effects that different kinds of linked fate have on political participation.