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Gender and Social Contact Effects onAttitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men

Gender and Social Contact Effects on
Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men

Lesbians, gay men, and bisexual persons have long been targets of hostility and victims of various forms of legal and de facto discrimination. ... Many heterosexual people feel an intolerance of gay men and lesbians that can range from mild disdain to hatred and disgust. In 1984, the National Gay Task Force surveyed 2,000 gay men and lesbians in eight American cities. Over 90% of the men and 75% of the women reported verbal harassment, and 20% of the men and 10% of the women reported actual physical attacks (Herek, 1989). ...
Reducing homophobia would obviously benefit lesbians and gay men, who suffer the consequences of others prejudices. ...
Gender, both of the respondent and of the gay person, affects attitudes. Several studies have found that heterosexual males hold more negative attitudes toward same-sex attraction than do heterosexual females (Aguero, Bloch, & Byrne, 1984; Hansen, 1982; Herek, 1984, 1989; Kurdek, 1988). ... Other polls and surveys indicate no significant difference between males and females attitudes toward gay people, but this apparent disagreement could be the result of using different surveys and sample sizes. Surveys that ask questions pertaining to civil liberties and morality show little difference between the opinions of men and women, but lengthier questionnaires exploring emotional responses to gay people reveal more homophobia on the part of males (Herek, 1986). Some research has found that both heterosexual men and women are more homophobic toward gay persons of their own gender (Gentry, 1987; Whitley, 1988) and that this effect is stronger in men than in women (Herek, 1951, 2001). Greater homophobia on the part of men may also appear when studies do not specify the gender of the target, since respondents of both genders may tend to picture males (Smith, 1987; Kyte, 2004). ... Additionally, acquaintance with lesbians and gay men generally results in more tolerance and more favorable attitudes (Furnham & Taylor, 1990; Herek, 1986; Lance, 1987; Pagtolun-An & Clair, 1986 ). Lance (1987) found that students in a human sexuality class exposed to lesbian and gay male speakers indicated less discomfort with gay people than students from another human sexuality class who had not had the presentation.

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Paper Information

Title: Gender and Social Contact Effects onAttitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men

Words: 1728
Rating: None
Pages: 6.9
submitted by: plagiarist2003

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