The moderating roles of gender and anti-gay prejudice in explaining stigma by association in male dyads

J Homosex. 2010;57(3):401-14. doi: 10.1080/00918360903543113.

Abstract

Using a convenience sample of 157 undergraduates, this study explored the likeability ratings of target characters from selected film clips who were described as gay or heterosexual as they associated with a gay-described foil character (i.e., a character against which the target is compared). As predicted, male respondents who strongly endorsed anti-gay prejudice viewed gay-described targets more favorably than heterosexual-described targets when each target was paired with a gay foil. Further, this pattern of biased ratings by high-prejudice male participants against our heterosexual target differentiated these participants from both low-prejudice male and high-prejudice female respondents. In contrast, but as hypothesized, high-prejudice female respondents compared to high-prejudice males rated heterosexual-described targets more favorably than they rated gay-described targets.

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Female
  • Homosexuality, Male*
  • Humans
  • Interpersonal Relations*
  • Male
  • Motion Pictures
  • Prejudice*
  • Sex Factors
  • Social Desirability*
  • Social Perception
  • Young Adult