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What Motivates Heterosexuals to Be Prejudiced Towards Gay Men And Understanding Prejudice and Discrimination: Heterosexuals’ Motivations for Engaging in Homonegativity Directed Toward Gay Men A Thesis Submitted to the College of Graduate Studies and Research in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Master of Arts Degree in the Department of Psychology University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon By Lisa M. Jewell © Lisa M. Jewell, September 2007. All rights reserved. Understanding Prejudice PERMISSION TO USE In presenting this thesis in partial fulfillment of the requirements for a Postgraduate degree from the University of Saskatchewan, I agree that the Libraries of this University may make it freely available for inspection. I further agree that permission for copying of this thesis in any manner, in whole or in part, for scholarly purposes may be granted by the professor who supervised my thesis work or, in her absence, by the Head of the Department or the Dean of the College in which my thesis work was done. It is understood that any copying or publication or use of this thesis or parts thereof for financial gain shall not be allowed without my written permission. It is also understood that due recognition shall be given to me and to the University of Saskatchewan in any scholarly use which may be made of any material in my thesis. Requests for permission to copy or to make other use of material in this thesis in whole or part should be addressed to: Head of the Department of Psychology University of Saskatchewan Saskatoon, Saskatchewan S7N 5A5 i Understanding Prejudice ABSTRACT To date, little research has documented the prevalence of anti-gay behaviours on Canadian university campuses or directly explored heterosexual men’s and women’s self-reported reasons for holding negative attitudes toward gay men and engaging in anti-gay behaviours. Consequently, the purpose of the current study was to: (1) assess the prevalence of anti-gay attitudes and behaviours on a Canadian university campus using the Attitudes Toward Gay Men Scale (ATG) and the Self-Report Behaviour Scale – Revised (SBS-R); (2) describe heterosexual men’s and women’s lived experiences as perpetrators of homonegativity; and (3) explore how heterosexuals find meaning in their homonegativity within personal and social contexts. A mixed-methods approach was used wherein a quantitative questionnaire was administered to 286 university students in the first phase of the study. The majority of the participants scored below the midpoint of the ATG and they most often reported engaging in subtle behaviours directed toward gay men. In the second, qualitative phase of the study, open-ended interviews were conducted with eight individuals (four men and four women) who held negative attitudes toward gay men and had engaged in anti-gay behaviours. The interviews were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The participants’ lived experiences of homonegativity were primarily characterized by their feelings of discomfort upon observing gay men display affection and their perceptions that gay men are feminine. For the most part, participants used their religious beliefs, negative affective reactions toward homosexuality, and their beliefs that homosexuality is wrong and unnatural to understand their homonegativity. Further, the participants indicated that they had only engaged in subtle anti-gay behaviours, such as joke-telling, social distancing, or avoidance. Many of the participants were concerned about being perceived as prejudiced and, consequently, monitored the behaviours they directed toward gay men. Limitations of the study and directions for future research concerning anti-gay behaviours are also presented. ii Understanding Prejudice ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my sincere gratitude toward everyone who has helped me through this journey. First, I would like to thank Dr. Melanie Morrison for being such a supportive supervisor. Her positive feedback throughout the development and completion of this thesis and her enthusiasm kept me motivated and focused. Next, I would like to thank my committee members, Dr. Louise Alexitch and Dr. Wendy Duggleby. Their advice throughout the development of this thesis was invaluable and their generosity and kindness was much appreciated. I also would like to thank the participants for taking the time to participate in my study and for being so willing to be candid about their opinions. Finally, I would like to thank my family and friends for supporting me throughout this rollercoaster ride. I do not know what I would do without your support! iii Understanding Prejudice TABLE OF CONTENTS PERMISSION TO USE .................................................................................................. i ABSTRACT .................................................................................................................... ii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................................... iii LIST OF TABLES ....................................................................................................... vii LIST OF FIGURES .................................................................................................... viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS ....................................................................................... ix CHAPTER ONE – INTRODUCTION ......................................................................... 1 1.1 Defining Homonegativity ....................................................................................... 1 1.2 Scientific Literature Review of Homonegativity ................................................... 2 1.3 The Relationship Between Homonegative Attitudes and Anti-Gay/Lesbian Behaviours .................................................................................................................... 3 1.4 Discrimination and Its Impact on Sexual Minorities .............................................. 9 1.4.1 Interpersonal discrimination directed toward gay men and lesbian women. .. 9 1.4.2 Institutional discrimination directed toward gay men and lesbian women ... 11 1.4.3 Impact of discrimination and victimization on the mental health of sexual minorities ................................................................................................................ 12 1.5 Existing Theoretical Explanations of Homonegativity ........................................ 14 1.5.1 Functions of prejudice. .................................................................................. 14 1.5.2 Gender belief system and self-discrepancy theory. ....................................... 16 1.5.3 Hegemonic masculinity. ................................................................................ 18 1.6 Heterosexuals’ Motivations for Engaging in Anti-Gay Behaviours .................... 20 1.7 Statement of the Problem ..................................................................................... 24 1.7 Statement of the Problem ..................................................................................... 24 1.8 Purpose and Specific Aims of the Current Study ................................................. 25 CHAPTER TWO – METHODOLOGICAL APPROACH ...................................... 27 2.1 Methodological Framework ................................................................................. 27 2.2 Methodological Approach .................................................................................... 28 CHAPTER THREE - PHASE 1: QUESTIONNAIRE ABOUT ANTI-GAY ATTITUDES AND BEHAVIOURS ........................................................................... 31 3.1 Method .................................................................................................................. 31 3.2 Participants ........................................................................................................... 31 3.3 Setting ................................................................................................................... 34 3.4 Measures ............................................................................................................... 34 3.4.1 Attitudes Toward Gay Men Scale (ATG). .................................................... 34 3.4.2 Self-Report of Behavior Scale-Revised (SBS-R). ......................................... 34 3.4.3 Demographics Questionnaire. ....................................................................... 34 3.5 Procedure .............................................................................................................. 35 3.6 Results and Discussion of Phase 1 ....................................................................... 36 3.6.1 Prevalence of anti-gay attitudes. .................................................................... 36 3.6.2 Prevalence of anti-gay behaviours. ................................................................ 37 CHAPTER FOUR –PHASE 2: METHOD FOR INTERVIEWS WITH HOMONEGATIVE INDIVIDUALS .......................................................................... 42 4.1 Participants ........................................................................................................... 42 4.2 Setting ................................................................................................................... 44 iv Understanding Prejudice 4.3 Measures ............................................................................................................... 44 4.3.1 Interview guide. ............................................................................................
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