# Associations between political orientation and allyship: Evidence from potential allies and their LGBTQ+ close others

## TL;DR

This study explores how political orientation affects allyship to the LGBTQ+ community, finding that liberals are generally seen as better allies but sometimes overestimate their support.

## Contribution

The study provides empirical evidence on how political orientation influences self-perceived and other-perceived allyship in LGBTQ+ relationships.

## Key findings

- Liberals are perceived as better allies compared to conservatives by both themselves and their LGBTQ+ close others.
- Liberals tend to slightly overestimate their allyship compared to how they are perceived by others.
- Higher other-perceived allyship is linked to increased interpersonal trust in close relationships.

## Abstract

To support the LGBTQ+ community, many straight, cisgender individuals position themselves as
allies
to their cause. It is possible that those identifying as liberal may champion LGBTQ+ causes more passionately than those identifying as conservative, though it is also possible that liberals’ self-perceptions do not align with how LGBTQ+ individuals perceive them. In this study, we systematically investigated the relationship between political orientation and allyship to the LGBTQ+ community. We recruited 378 dyads composed of a cisgender, straight individual and an LGBTQ+ close other. Findings suggested that self-perceptions of allyship (from cisgender, straight individuals) were largely consistent with evaluations from LGBTQ+ close others. In line with our expectations, on average, liberals (compared to conservatives) both viewed themselves and were perceived as better allies. However, there was a small but significant tendency for liberals to
overestimate
their allyship relative to conservatives. In addition, exploratory analyses revealed other-perceived allyship was positively associated with higher interpersonal trust, underscoring allyship’s importance in close relationships. These findings contribute to a growing understanding of the ideological and interpersonal antecedents of allyship and inform strategies for fostering stronger, more authentic relationships with the LGBTQ+ community.

The stage 1 protocol for this Registered Report was accepted in principle on 11/15/2024. The protocol, as accepted by the journal, can be found at: 10.17605/OSF.IO/2Q7W6.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-026-42213-8.