Abstract
<p>Although sexual minority stress often predicts lower well-being, LGBQ+ people may be protected against these effects if they receive support that helps them feel understood. What processes are linked to greater felt understanding? Across three studies, we tested the hypothesis that LGBQ+ people feel more understood by LGBQ+ (vs. heterosexual) support providers and tested two possible explanations for this relationship: (1) LGBQ+ support providers offer higher-quality support (the support quality explanation) and (2) people’s beliefs about shared identity are linked to how they evaluate support (the interpretive filter explanation). Using varied methodologies—participants reflecting on their close relationships and evaluating both genuine and experimentally manipulated support messages—we found limited evidence for the former explanation but more robust evidence for the latter. These findings underscore the power of sharing an identity with a support provider when experiencing minority stress, while also suggesting that mere beliefs about shared identity may be a major source of that power. Keywords: identity, interpersonal relationships, minority stress, sexuality/sexual orientation, social support</p>