Underneath it all
You Gay, Bro? Social Costs Faced by Male Confronters of Antigay Prejudice
Jonathan Cadieux & Alison Chasteen
Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, forthcoming
Abstract:
Heterosexual males report being concerned about having their sexual orientation misclassified if they confront antigay prejudice, but research has not established whether such confrontations lead to these misperceptions. The present work investigated whether confrontation of antigay prejudice leads to misclassification of orientation and other social costs, such as being disliked and viewed as a complainer. In Study 1, undergraduate participants read about a confrontation of antigay prejudice by a male confronter whose sexual orientation was implied by indicating the gender of his romantic partner or was undisclosed. We found that confronters of antigay prejudice faced a unique social cost: they were viewed as more likely gay/less likely straight when they chose to confront, even if they were depicted as being heterosexual. In Study 2, we replicated these findings in a community sample using a different confrontation script. Additionally, we found that confronters were viewed as complainers for confronting antigay prejudice, and this led to them being disliked. In Study 3, we obtained results similar to Study 2 by having participants interact online with 1 confederate who made an antigay remark and another who confronted that bigoted comment. Together, these studies show that confronting antigay bias not only leads to being viewed as a complainer and being disliked, but also comes with its own unique cost of having one’s sexual orientation misperceived. Because confronting antigay prejudice is potentially costly on many levels, people may be deterred from confronting.
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Fabio Fasoli et al.
European Journal of Social Psychology, forthcoming
Abstract:
We examined whether homophobic epithets (e.g., faggot) function as labels of deviance for homosexuals that contribute to their dehumanization and physical distance. Across two studies, participants were supraliminally (Study 1) and subliminally (Study 2) exposed to a homophobic epithet, a category label, or a generic insult. Participants were then asked to associate human-related and animal-related words to homosexuals and heterosexuals. Results showed that after exposure to a homophobic epithet, compared with a category label or a generic insult, participants associated less human-related words with homosexuals, indicating dehumanization. In Study 2, we also assessed the effect of a homophobic epithet on physical distance from a target group member and found that homophobic epithets led to greater physical distancing of a gay man. These findings indicate that homophobic epithets foster dehumanization and avoidance of gay people, in ways that other insults or labels do not.
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Prenatal testosterone exposure is related to sexually dimorphic facial morphology in adulthood
Andrew Whitehouse et al.
Proceedings of the Royal Society: Biological Sciences, 7 October 2015
Abstract:
Prenatal testosterone may have a powerful masculinizing effect on postnatal physical characteristics. However, no study has directly tested this hypothesis. Here, we report a 20-year follow-up study that measured testosterone concentrations from the umbilical cord blood of 97 male and 86 female newborns, and procured three-dimensional facial images on these participants in adulthood (range: 21–24 years). Twenty-three Euclidean and geodesic distances were measured from the facial images and an algorithm identified a set of six distances that most effectively distinguished adult males from females. From these distances, a ‘gender score’ was calculated for each face, indicating the degree of masculinity or femininity. Higher cord testosterone levels were associated with masculinized facial features when males and females were analysed together (n = 183; r = −0.59), as well as when males (n = 86; r = −0.55) and females (n = 97; r = −0.48) were examined separately (p-values < 0.001). The relationships remained significant and substantial after adjusting for potentially confounding variables. Adult circulating testosterone concentrations were available for males but showed no statistically significant relationship with gendered facial morphology (n = 85, r = 0.01, p = 0.93). This study provides the first direct evidence of a link between prenatal testosterone exposure and human facial structure.
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Oakleigh Reed, Andrew Franks & Kyle Scherr
Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, forthcoming
Abstract:
Transgender individuals are stigmatized as mentally ill and are subjected to widespread prejudice. The current study sought to examine anti-transgender prejudice within the context of workplace hiring recommendations. Participants (N = 111) were randomly assigned to receive 1 of 4 hypothetical job interview vignettes that varied the description of the applicant as either cisgender or transgender, and also whether their presented sex was male or female. Participants reported the applicant’s perceived mental health status and their willingness to hire the applicant. A moderated-mediation analysis indicated that the applicant’s gender identity influenced hiring decisions indirectly through participants’ perceptions of the applicant’s mental health and that mental health perceptions robustly explained the recommendation deficits for female-to-male transmen, but less strongly for male-to-female transwomen applicants. These findings suggest that there are additional factors contributing to the recommendation deficits for male-to-female transwomen applicants. The theoretical and applied implications of these findings are discussed.
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Jeremy Thomas & Andrew Whitehead
Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion, May 2015, Pages 345–362
Abstract:
While attribution theory expects that beliefs about the origins of homosexuality are directly related to beliefs about the moral acceptability of homosexual behavior, we use content analysis of the popular evangelical magazine Christianity Today to show that evangelical elites have developed a series of anti-homosexuality narratives that allow them to resist attribution effects. In particular, we find that even when evangelical elites have expressed belief in the physiological origins of homosexuality, such as the influence of genetics and/or prenatal hormones, their negative beliefs about the moral acceptability of homosexual behavior have not varied. We argue, then, that evangelical elites’ anti-homosexuality narratives provide them with a strategy for influencing rank-and-file evangelicals, so that while allowing for a diversity of beliefs about the origins of homosexuality, rank-and-file evangelicals still have a viable mechanism for connecting these beliefs — whatever they may be — to negative beliefs about the moral acceptability of homosexual behavior. Our findings thus extend attribution theory, illuminate the potential power of moral narratives, and amplify the need for future research.
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Angela Swan
Women & Criminal Justice, forthcoming
Abstract:
Research shows the experience of female police officers differ from their male coworkers as a result of factors related directly to gender. The current study explores the relationship between gender identity and job satisfaction among 100 female police officers using the Bem Sex Role Inventory and Job Descriptive Index scales. Correlations between demographics, gender, and job satisfaction were investigated. The results found that policewomen with masculine gender identity experienced less job satisfaction than those identifying as androgynous.