Gender Differences in Anti-Gay Prejudice: Evidence for Stability and Change

The Relationship Between Gender and Sexual Orientation in Academia

To date, there has been no prior systematic analysis of where LGB research gets published and where LGB studies programs are housed within universities. LGB research could have a disciplinary home in any number of areas of study because of its relevance across many disciplines. Nevertheless, drawing upon the theory of sexuality-as-gendered, we predicted that LGB research and programs of study would be found predominantly within gender studies. We examine the extent to which sexual orientation research (Study 1) and U.S. university LGBTQ-related academic programming (Studies 2 and 3) has found their home in the gender studies discipline. Study 1 results showed gender studies have been the primary home of published sexual orientation research in top-ranked peer-reviewed journals over the past three decades. In Study 2, university LGBTQ academic programming was housed within gender studies departments more frequently than any other department-including standalone LGBTQ studies departments. In Study 3, Google searches for university "LGBT studies" frequently led to that university's gender studies department website as the top search result-including universities whose gender studies department offered zero LGBTQ-related courses. Combined, these results demonstrate far-reaching manifestations of the fact that gender and sexuality are inextricably intertwined constructs.

Same-Sex Kissing and Having a Gay or Lesbian Child: A Bridge Too Far? Parent-Child Similarities in Homophobic Attitudes and Observed Parental Discomfort

This study examined parent-child similarities in homophobic attitudes and observed parental discomfort with coming-out vignettes in interactions with their adolescent children (14-18 years old). Based on gender schema theory and the family process model we expected parent-child similarities in homophobic attitudes to be stronger in same-gender dyads. Further, we expected that observed parental discomfort with coming-out vignettes would occur and is stronger when the gender of the parent, child, and character in the vignette match. We used questionnaires and observation data from 199 White Dutch families in the Netherlands. Our results showed that parents' homophobic attitudes were associated with their children's homophobic attitudes. For same-sex kissing and (imagining) having a gay son, these associations were stronger between parents and children of the same gender. Further, parental discomfort with coming-out vignettes occurred and was stronger when parents and children had the same gender, regardless of the gender of the vignette character. In conclusion, policies aiming at gay and lesbian inclusion should not be limited to accepting gay/lesbian identities, but also pay attention to the acceptance of same-sex intimacy expressions, having gay or lesbian family members, and normalizing discussions about gay/lesbian lives.

The Sexual Double Standard toward Non-Heterosexual Populations: Evaluations of Sexually Active Gay Men and Lesbian Women

We examined the sexual double standard (SDS) toward sexually active gay men and lesbian women and the role that participants' masculinity and femininity played in their evaluations. We hypothesized that there would be a reverse SDS in which highly sexually active lesbian women would be evaluated positively and highly sexually active gay men negatively, with both being evaluated more negatively than less sexually active gay men and lesbians. We also hypothesized that masculinity would moderate this effect, with participant masculinity being positively related to stronger negative evaluations of highly sexually active gay targets and more positive evaluations of highly sexually active lesbian targets. Results indicate a weak SDS in the areas of likability and morality, with highly sexually active lesbians being liked by masculine participants the most and highly sexually active gay men being rated as the least moral. The SDS appears to be influenced by expectations of gender roles and may be reversed for gay men and lesbian women because of these expectations.

Heterosexual, Lesbian, and Gay Adults' Reactions to Same-Gender versus Other-Gender Flirtation: Findings from a German Study

Using a vignette methodology, this study examined reactions to same-gender versus other-gender flirtation in a sample of 445 German young adults: 320 participants with a heterosexual orientation and 125 participants with a lesbian or gay (LG) orientation. Even in LG-friendly societies as Germany, receiving advances from someone of the same gender might still evoke heterosexuals' homonegativity. Another factor that might influence heterosexuals' reactions to same-gender flirtation is the fear of being misidentified as LG (social contagion concerns). Contrary to hypothesis, results provided little evidence to classify heterosexual participants' reactions to same-gender flirters as homonegative. Firstly, heterosexual participants showed the same degree of negative affect and avoidance behavior in the same-gender flirtation condition as LG participants did in the other-gender flirtation condition. Only positive affect scores were somewhat lower for heterosexual participants in the same-gender flirtation condition compared to LG participants in the other-gender flirtation condition. Secondly, when anti-LG attitudes and social contagion concerns were considered together, only social contagion concerns contributed to explaining variance in heterosexual participants' response to same-gender flirters. Specifically, the impact of social contagion concerns on heterosexual participants' avoidance of same-gender flirters was mediated by (lacking) positive affect, but not negative affect.

Changing attitudes toward homosexuality in South Korea, 1996-2018

Women are often considered more liberal than men on controversial social issues, but gender gaps in sociopolitical attitudes across different age groups have not been fully explored. This study challenges the taken-for-granted gender differences in public attitudes toward homosexuality by examining both between-gender gaps and within-gender changes across the life course. Using data from five waves of the World Values Survey in South Korea, we explore gender and age differences in Korean adults' attitudes toward homosexuality from 1996 to 2018. Consistent with previous research, people become more conservative as they get older, and in general, women are more accepting of homosexuality than men, accounting for sociodemographic covariates. However, this gender difference is conditioned by people's life stages. Only among young adults (aged 18-29) were female respondents more accepting of homosexuality than their male counterparts. For people aged 30 and older, there are no significant gender differences in attitudes, and for both women and men, homosexuality is mostly unacceptable during their mid (aged 50-59) and late adulthood (aged 60+). Further mediation investigation has shown gendered mechanisms behind age differences in homosexuality acceptability. For both women and men, traditional family/gender attitudes provide significant explanations about age differences in homosexuality, while for women, not for men, family status, especially the number of children, makes older women more conservative in homosexuality issues. We suggest that heteropatriarchal social structures may lead to a resistance to attitudinal changes in non-traditional family forms, such as homosexuality.

Femmephobia Is a Uniquely Powerful Predictor of Anti-Gay Behavior

The current study explored a form of femmephobia (specifically, negative attitudes toward femininity in men) as a predictor of anti-gay behaviors among a sample of heterosexual men (N = 417). Additional predictor variables included hierarchical worldviews (i.e., social dominance orientation, right-wing authoritarianism, narcissism) and prejudicial attitudes (i.e., old-fashioned and modern homonegativity). Femmephobia emerged as a robust predictor, accounting for 23% of the variance in anti-gay behavior, surpassing the explanatory power (15%) of all other considered variables combined. Moreover, social dominance only predicted anti-gay behavior when femmephobia levels were high. Future research on discrimination and violence related to sexual identity and gender expression should incorporate femmephobia as a key predictive factor.

Coming out as trans: parental support mediates mental health effects

Objective

The present study explores how coming out to parents - in terms of both status (being out vs. not) and, if out, experience (continuum from rejection to acceptance) - affects trans people's mental health.

Method

Participants were 509 young adult trans individuals from Germany (community-based sample; 50% gender binary, 50% nonbinary; 16-35 years). The cross-sectional online study used standardized measures of coming out response, social support, and mental health.

Results

More participants were out to their mother than their father, but mothers did not respond with more acceptance. At the bivariate level, coming out experience, but not coming out status, was positively related to mental health. At the multivariate level, parental support mediated the association between both coming out variables and mental health. That is, trans people who were out to their parents and, if out, had a positive coming out experience received more parental support, which, in turn, was conducive to their mental health. There were no substantial differences between maternal and paternal effects, and effect sizes were equal for coming out status and experience.

Conclusion

This study confirmed the crucial role that parents play when it comes to their child's coming out as trans - by accepting their child's gender identity early on and providing them with support.