No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
We're here, we're queer, we're on TV: The effects of visual media on heterosexuals' attitudes toward gay men and lesbians
Abstract
Effects of visual media on attitudes toward gay men and lesbians were investigated by exposing 3 groups of participants to a brief video. The first group viewed an anti-gay video, the second group viewed a pro-gay video, and a comparison group viewed a neutral video. Participants' attitudes were measured immediately following the video after seeing the video, participants were contacted by telephone, and their attitudes were again assessed. Participants were not aware of the connection between the follow-up assessment and the initial video exposure. At follow-up, participants' attitudes were significantly different, with attitudes with the pro-gay video group being most positive, and those in the anti-gay video group being most negative.
... Mainstream media consumption appears to have a positive effect on the attitudes toward lesbian, gay, bisexual and transsexual (LGBT) people (Calzo & Ward, 2009;Lee & Hicks, 2011;Newman, 2007;R€ ossler & Brosius, 2001;Schiappa, Gregg, & Hewes, 2006). Consequently, the exposure of specific groups of people to positive media portrayals of gay and lesbian characters appears to showcase a decrease in the prejudices toward them (Levina, Waldo, & Fitzgerald, 2000;Mazur & Emmers-Sommer, 2002;Schiappa, Gregg, & Hewes, 2005;Schiappa et al., 2006). It needs to be recognized that the existing data, are still considered minimal, however few available empirical researches offer intriguing evidence of the influence of the media on attitudes to same-sex sexual relations people and characters (Gomillion & Giuliano, 2011). ...
... Numerous studies have confirmed that people, irrespective of gender, express more positive attitudes to LGBT community when exposed to positive descriptions of gay people (Bonds-Raacke, Cady, Schlegel, Harris, & Firebaugh, 2007;Mad zarevi c & Soto-Sanfiel, 2018;Schiappa et al., 2005;Soto-Sanfiel, Palencia, Carvalho, & Vel azquez, 2011;Wright & Bae, 2013). The results of the research carried out by Levina et al. (2000) suggest that media narratives influence viewers' attitudes to same sex couples; a group of students that watched a video with positive depiction of gay people, expressed a significantly more positive attitudes in comparison to another group of students that viewed an anti-gay video. ...
... This psychological response, in turn, should aid the reduction in prejudice among different groups and ultimately achieve greater acceptance of LGBT people in society. This conjecture is supported by the results of preliminary studies that observed positive depictions of gay characters (Levina et al., 2000;Mazur & Emmers-Sommer, 2002;Riggle, Ellis, & Crawford, 1996;R€ ossler & Brosius, 2001;Schiappa et al., 2005, Schiappa et al., 2006 and the relation between morality and entertainment. Audience monitor the morality and judge the actions of the characters, which is important for narrative enjoyment (Raney, 2003(Raney, , 2004(Raney, , 2006 and, therefore, appreciation would be a tool for narrative persuasion, just like the enjoyment is (Igartua, 2007). ...
The purpose of this study is to explore the responses of young members of the audience to media narratives that portray gay men positively with particular emphasis on the extent to which film appreciation reduced homophobia. One hundred and fifty college students from a Serbian university (MAge = 21.58, SD = 2.199) completed a questionnaire measuring homophobia and two months later, they watched the film The Parade (2011) and their appreciation and perception of the film’s quality were assessed along with the level of their homophobia. Statistical analysis that was carried out revealed three relevant findings. First, higher levels of homophobia correlate with less positive evaluations and appreciation of the film. Second, the results show that a greater degree of film appreciation correlates with a decrease in individual’s homophobia level, and last, the analysis reveals that gender of the audience members is not a determining factor when it comes to appreciation or evaluation of the film. The results expounded here contribute to entertainment theories and are useful for promoting sexual diversity in the media.
... Conforme observado nos tópicos subsequentes, à violência na televisão, e nos meios de comunicação têm atraído um grande interesse dos estudiosos, no entanto, assim como a violência é influenciada pela mídia, o preconceito também é. Assumindo assim, que os meios de comunicação social podem influenciar as atitudes das pessoas (LEVINA; WALDO;FITZGERALD, 2000), uma variedade de teorias e pesquisas empíricas versando sobre essa influência da mídia sobre o ponto de vista da sociedade em várias questões sociais vem sendo desenvolvidas (COYNE et al., 2008;CHENG et al., 2007;SAVAGE;YANCEY, 2008). ...
... Conforme observado nos tópicos subsequentes, à violência na televisão, e nos meios de comunicação têm atraído um grande interesse dos estudiosos, no entanto, assim como a violência é influenciada pela mídia, o preconceito também é. Assumindo assim, que os meios de comunicação social podem influenciar as atitudes das pessoas (LEVINA; WALDO;FITZGERALD, 2000), uma variedade de teorias e pesquisas empíricas versando sobre essa influência da mídia sobre o ponto de vista da sociedade em várias questões sociais vem sendo desenvolvidas (COYNE et al., 2008;CHENG et al., 2007;SAVAGE;YANCEY, 2008). ...
... Segundo Levina et al. (2000) a teoria do espiral de silêncio, foi desenvolvido por Neumann-Noelle (1974, como uma teoria que visa descrever a formação da opinião pública. Essa teoria refere-se a um fenômeno em que um indivíduo percebe um ponto de vista particular sobre uma questão a ser dominante na sociedade, e, portanto, tornam-se relutantes em expressar opiniões opostas por medo de ser excluído pela maioria. ...
O objetivo desse capítulo é apresentar as relações entre psicologia social e mídia. Para cumprir este fim, buscou-se dar um panorama dos estudos de mídia em importantes revistas de psicologia social.
... tion to investigating the presence or absence of sexual minorities in the media, scholars also have been interested in the effect of these representations on media consumers. The majority of the studies we reviewed relied on experimental and quasi-experimental methods to assess this link, typically examining viewers' attitudes toward sexual minorities before and after exposure to media with homosexual themes or sexual minority characters (Bhat, Leigh, & Wardlow, 1996; Bonds-Raacke, Cady, Schlegel, Harris, & Firebaugh, 2007; Levina, Waldo, & Fitzgerald, 2000; Mazur & EmmersSommer, 2002; Riggle, Ellis, & Crawford, 1996; Rössler & Brosius, 2001 ). Several theoretical frameworks have been used to explain the effects of media exposure on individual beliefs about and attitudes toward sexual minorities. ...
... Compared with youth who were not exposed to this content, youth who were exposed estimated greater numbers of lesbian and gay individuals in society and rated societal acceptance of homosexuality as being higher. Similarly, among young U.S. adults, viewing media content that positively portrayed gay and lesbian individuals and couples was linked with more positive attitudes toward these groups (Levina et al., 2000; Mazur & Emmers-Sommer, 2002) both immediately after viewing and even 2 weeks later (Levina et al., 2000). Data assessing students' regular media use indicate that these patterns extend outside the laboratory . ...
... Compared with youth who were not exposed to this content, youth who were exposed estimated greater numbers of lesbian and gay individuals in society and rated societal acceptance of homosexuality as being higher. Similarly, among young U.S. adults, viewing media content that positively portrayed gay and lesbian individuals and couples was linked with more positive attitudes toward these groups (Levina et al., 2000; Mazur & Emmers-Sommer, 2002) both immediately after viewing and even 2 weeks later (Levina et al., 2000). Data assessing students' regular media use indicate that these patterns extend outside the laboratory . ...
Portrayals of sexual relationships in mainstream
media are prevalent and complex. Content analyses
estimate that sexual content appears in approximately
85% of major motion pictures (Jamieson
et al., 2008), 82% of television programs (Fisher
et al., 2004), 59% of music videos (Turner, 2011),
37% of music lyrics (Primack, Gold, Schwarz, &
Dalton, 2008), 22% of radio segments (Gentile,
1999), and 21% of magazine headlines (Davalos,
Davalos, & Layton, 2007). The portrayals are not
uniform, but instead come in multiple forms—
explicit and implied; verbal and nonverbal; reality
based or wholly fictional; and covering a range of
themes, tones (e.g., humorous or serious; positive or
negative), and consequences. Consider, for example,
each of the following scenarios: a sitcom episode in
which a sex-starved husband devises a complex lie
to make his wife have sympathy for him so she will
sleep with him; a music video in which a young man
encourages his two female companions to kiss each
other while he watches; a magazine article that
instructs young women on how to flirt successfully.
In each instance the content is not necessarily sexually
explicit (i.e., pornography), but the images,
dialogue, storylines, and character portrayals nonetheless
offer substantial insight into how sexual relationships
are initiated, maintained, nourished, and
terminated.
This chapter reviews major findings in the field
concerning the impact of portrayals of sexuality and
sexual relationships in mainstream entertainment
media. In compiling materials for this review, we
conducted comprehensive reviews of the PsychInfo,
Communication and Mass Media, and PubMed electronic
databases, focusing on studies published in
the new millennium, from 2000 on. In creating
parameters for this review, we have chosen to focus
on analyses of the following entertainment media:
television, films, music, music videos, video games,
and magazines. We do not cover news media, literature,
mass media public health campaigns, pornography
(see Chapter 1, this volume), the Internet and
new technologies (see Chapter 3, this volume), or
unpublished dissertations and conference presentations.
We also do not include a review of media content
analyses but instead focus on media effects (but
for excellent recent content analysis reviews, see
Arnett, 2002; Greenberg & Hofschire, 2000; Ward,
2003; Wright, 2009). We begin our review with a
brief discussion of how viewers perceive sexual
content in the media and then move into summarizing
effects in the following domains: sexual attitudes,
sexual behavior, and sexual health. We conclude
with reviews of media effects on three emerging
domains: homosexuality, sexual violence, and
sexual objectification
... Are these characters and storylines written to be "inoffensive" for a straight audience and limiting "how queerness can manifest itself" (Kohnen, 2015), reassuring or inspirational for young/closeted LGBTQ+ viewers (GLAAD, 2014) or a "bracing refusal of the condescensions of heterosexual tolerance" (Medhurst, 2008)? How do different audiences perceive these representations, be they straight (Bond & Compton, 2015;Levina et al., 2000), LGBTQ+ teens and young adults (McInroy & Craig, 2017) ...
... audiences (Dhoest & Simons, 2012;Gordon, 1999;Levina et al., 2000;McInroy & Craig, 2017), exploration of which will heavily inform the second half of the study-the critical discourse analysisand the potential impact of these representations upon different audiences (Baker Netzley, 2010). ...
This thesis draws on queer theory, media representation, intersectionality and news values to conduct a combined queerfeminist visual and critical discourse analysis examining how representation of same-sex attraction and queer relationships in British teen television—and the media’s reaction to them—has changed between 1994 and 2019.
The queerfeminist visual analysis compares two scenes featuring same-sex attraction between male teenagers in two TV shows: Byker Grove (1989-2006), which featured a chaste but angrily rejected kiss in 1994 and Sex Education (2019-2023), which featured an unseen but implicitly enjoyed blow job in 2019. The Byker Grove scene was the first gay kiss on British children’s television. Sex Education has been praised for its diverse LGBTQ+ cast and storylines. Two series are thus valuable bookends for this quarter-century-spanning but limited comparative study. Supported by a brief content analysis of national and local press coverage of Byker Grove from 1994 and online coverage of Sex Education on the selected newspapers’ websites, the queerfeminist critical discourse analysis compares four news items reporting on each TV show in contrasting British newspapers: populist “red top” The Sun and liberal “quality” paper The Guardian.
The combined study finds that 1) there are visual similarities in the framing of each scene but significant differences in narratives and messaging, especially when decoded by different audiences, and 2) the social discourse has shifted significantly from one of outright opposition to invisibilisation on the political right and from silence to praise on the left.
The thesis fills a gap in queer television studies scholarship that has mostly overlooked British teen/children’s television in favour of American TV shows and makes recommendations for further research, particularly in the fields of audience studies and social sexual script theory with a focus on LGBTQ+ teen and adult viewers.
... Regarding items 11 ("Having children"), 15 ("Sharing stories about the LGBTQ+ community"), and 19 ("Sharing knowledge with other generations"), these are themes that are still poorly portrayed in the current media, given that, as Levina et al. (2000) discuss, most media (e.g., commercials, movies, TV shows, and educational) are still represented by heterosexual characters, and that when LGBTQ+ characters are portrayed, their stories typically focus on discrimination (Hurd et al., 2020). ...
... Concerning the relationships between the constructs, a positive correlation was observed between attitude and exposure to negative media portrayal, corroborating studies on the increase in positive attitude through exposure to LGBTQ+ content (e.g., Hefner et al., 2015;Levina et al., 2000;Lissitsa & Kushnirovich, 2021;Taracuk & Koch, 2021;Yan, 2019) who claim that the greater the exposure to LGBTQ+ media, the greater the positive attitude towards people in the community. However, as pointed out by Hurd et al. (2020), stories about LGBTQ+ people tend to focus on discrimination, which may explain the fact that only exposure Content courtesy of Springer Nature, terms of use apply. ...
Introduction LGBTQ+community media insertion is growing. However, this does not mean that all representation is positive, raising the question: What are the impacts of different LGBTQ+media portrayals?
Methods The research aimed to create and validate the Attitudes Towards LGBTQ+ Media Scale and the Exposure to
LGBTQ+Media Scale, observing their relationships with gender, age, and sexual orientation. To this end, three studies
were carried out.
Results Study 1 pointed to a two-factor organization of the Exposure to LGBTQ+Media Scale (negative media portrayal,
α=0.82; positive media portrayal, α=0.80) and a single-factor organization of the Attitudes Towards LGBTQ+ Media
Scale (α=0.91). Study 2 corroborated these factor structures, presenting satisfactory model fit indices (media exposure:
comparative fit index (CFI)=0.97, Tucker-Lewis index (TLI)=0.97, goodness-of-fit index (GFI)=0.97, SRMR=0.07,
RMSEA=0.07 [90% CI 0.06–0.09]; attitudes: CFI=1.00, TLI=1.02, GFI=0.99, SRMR=0.01, RMSEA=0.01 [90% CI
0.01–0.02]). Finally, study 3 found a correlation between negative media portrayal and attitudes (ρ=0.31, p<0.00), moderated by sexual orientation (b=−0.6225, p<0.000).
Conclusions Through the scales, we can observe that there is still a dominance of media representation focused on negative
aspects, such as victimization and discrimination.
Policy Implications This study helps us to understand how the media can reduce discrimination and prejudice towards the
LGBTQ+public, investigating the biopsychosocial aspects involved to, as far as possible, contribute to a more inclusive society
... Intergroup contact interventions promote positive contact between members of different groups to reduce negative attitudes toward the stigmatized group (Pettigrew, 1998). Research indicates that intergroup contact reduces prejudice against stigmatized groups, including sexual minority individuals (Bartos et al., 2014), when administered in diverse forms, including direct contact (interactions between majority and minority group members; Bartos et al., 2014), extended contact (knowing that one's friend has a friend who belongs to a minority group; Wright, Aron, McLaughlin-Volpe, & Ropp, 1997), vicarious contact (observing intergroup friendships in media; Bonds-Raacke, Cady, Schlegel, Harris, & Firebaugh, 2007;Levina, Waldo, & Fitzgerald, 2000;Schiappa, Gregg, & Hewes, 2006), and imagined contact (imagining an interaction with a minority group member; Miles & Crisp, 2014). ...
... Vicarious contact and multicultural education, implemented via television, are believed to have reduced negative attitudes toward gay/lesbian individuals. Positive portrayals of gay/lesbian television characters are associated with less negative attitudes toward gay/lesbian individuals (Bartos et al., 2014;Bonds-Raacke et al., 2007;Levina et al., 2000;Schiappa et al., 2006). These positive portrayals often depict friendships between heterosexual and gay/lesbian characters, functioning as vicarious intergroup contact interventions. ...
Despite bisexual individuals being at increased risk for mental health and substance use problems, clinicians’ ability to provide affirmative and competent care to bisexual clients is limited by their lack of bisexual-specific training. To address this common gap in training, this article provides a brief review of bisexual health disparities and the factors that influence them. Then, we describe a multi-level approach for improving the health and well-being of bisexual individuals. This approach addresses factors that influence health at the micro-level (e.g., strategies that clinicians can use to help bisexual clients cope with stigma-related stressors), mezzo-level (e.g., adaptations to clinical environments and training programs that promote bisexual-affirmative care), and macro-level (e.g., advocating for political change and implementing strategies to reduce prejudice against bisexual individuals at the population-level). Specifically, we describe how clinicians can adapt evidence-based interventions to tailor them to the needs of their bisexual clients. Additionally, we discuss the need for bisexual-affirmative clinical training and provide recommendations for how clinical training can be adapted to prepare clinicians to work effectively with bisexual clients. Finally, we describe how population-level interventions can be used to reduce prejudice against bisexual individuals in order to reduce bisexual health disparities. Given the striking health disparities affecting bisexual individuals, there is a critical need to develop, test, and disseminate interventions to improve the health of this population and to prepare clinicians to provide bisexual-affirmative care.
... Ortiz and Harwood (2007) found that exposure to Will & Grace was negatively correlated with perceived social distance between gay and straight people in a survey of heterosexual college students. In an experimental study, heterosexual participants were shown a video that portrayed gay individuals in a positive or negative manner (Levina et al., 2000). Ten to 14 days later, participants responded to items measuring attitudes toward gay individuals and social issues. ...
... Gay Equality Endorsement. The Gay and Lesbian Social Issues Scale (Levina et al., 2000) was used to measure participants' overall endorsement of gay equality. The measure was used because it respects the multidimensional nature of gay equality, defining endorsement of gay equality as attitudes toward various legal and social policy issues rather than as simply acceptance of same-sex relationships, a common unidimensional operationalization in previous research (Keleher & Smith, 2012; Shafer & Shaw, 2009). ...
The current study, grounded in the parasocial contact hypothesis, employed a survey of emerging adults to investigate the relationship between exposure to gay characters on television and heterosexuals' endorsement of gay equality. A positive relationship existed between exposure to on-screen gay characters and gay equality endorsement. The relationship was stronger for racial minority participants than for White participants, and for participants who had no or few interpersonal relationships with openly gay individuals than for participants who had more than three respective relationships. Results are discussed in terms of the parasocial contact hypothesis and television as an agent of social change.
... Although cultivation theory has been used as a framework to understand media effects to issues such as racial perceptions (Mastro & Behm-Morawitz, 2005;Mastro, Behm-Morawitz, & Ortiz, 2007) and health behaviors (Lee & Niederdeppe, 2010;Gutschoven & Van den Bulck, 2005), there is a significant lack on its application to the issue of homosexuality (Calzo & Ward, 2009) To date, homosexual content over popular media has become more visible compared to previous decades. With such increase, several studies suggest that media plays a role on the growing positive attitude towards homosexuals (Bonds-Raacke et al., 2007;Calzo & Ward, 2009;Gross, 1991;Levina, Waldo & Fitzgerald, 2000;Riggle, Ellis & Crawford, 1996). Aside from attitudinal changes, mass media exposure seems to affect interpersonal contact with homosexuals. ...
... One potential explanation is that watching media with homosexual content (e.g. TV show where the host is gay or lesbian) enable viewers to realize that homosexuality is a part of today's social reality (Gross, 1991;Levina, Waldo & Fitzgerald, 2000;Riggle, Ellis & Crawford, 1996). Aside from changing attitudes, mass media may also serve as an avenue for people to understand how to interact with homosexuals. ...
Homosexuality has been rendered as a controversial topic and a focal area of public discourse in Singapore. Although studies have been conducted on public attitudes toward homosexuals and its predictors, little research has been done to explore factors associated with equal rights support for homosexuals especially in Asia. To identify predictors of equal rights support for homosexuals, we used data collected from a nationally representative survey of 924 Singapore citizens and permanent residents in 2010. Results of the regression path analyses showed that mass media exposure to homosexual content was positively related to interpersonal contact and attitude while Asian culture identification was negatively related to attitude. Interpersonal contact was also positively related to attitude and acceptance of homosexuals. Support for equal rights for homosexuals was predicted by acceptance and attitude, and not by interpersonal contact. The findings provide new insights on the issue of support for equal rights for homosexuals in Asia.
* Awarded 2nd prize for outstanding paper award for young scholars at the 2015 International Association for Intercultural Communication Studies.
... On the intrapersonal level, attitudes have been found to be adapted from multiple factors such as biological, cultural, and social interactions, which in turn, create collective attitudes of a community, and in the larger scale, society (De Houwer et al., 2001;Poteat, 2007). One of the largest factors that forms and affects attitudes is the relationship between society and media (Hargreaves & Tiggemann, 2003;Levina, Waldo, & Fitzgerald, 2000). ...
Filipino communities face significant challenges in accessing mental health services, with additional barriers due to the cultural stigma around mental health issues. This study explores alternative strategies for mental health awareness and intervention by evaluating the Mga Iniwang Anitu Facebook and Instagram pages, which incorporate Digital Art Therapy and Anonymous Self-disclosure. Using a randomized survey and quantitative reception analysis based on the ABC Model of Attitudes, the study finds that Anonymous Self-disclosure supports quick-relief coping, while Digital Art Therapy reduces distress and offers social support. The study highlights insights on the attitudes of social media users and the potential use of social media platforms for quick-relief coping strategies, social support, and increased mental health awareness.
... On the intrapersonal level, attitudes have been found to be adapted from multiple factors such as biological, cultural, and social interactions, which in turn, create collective attitudes of a community, and in the larger scale, society (De Houwer et al., 2001;Poteat, 2007). One of the largest factors that forms and affects attitudes is the relationship between society and media (Hargreaves & Tiggemann, 2003;Levina, Waldo, & Fitzgerald, 2000). ...
... (Mostafa, 2007) . Still other attitudes are acquired by individuals through exposure through mass media or social media interaction with networking groups (Hargreaves & Tiggemann, 2003;Levina, Waldo, & Fitzgerald, 2000) or through our interactions with friends (Poteat, 2007) ...
The electric car is an eco-friendly mobility solution
that has the potential to significantly reduce carbon
emissions & conserve nature. It can transform India
into a greener & cleaner city. Reducing the green
gap is vital not just for meeting corporate
sustainability goals but for preserving the planet for
future generations. Hence both policymakers, as
well as car manufacturers, can use various social
media platforms to create awareness about electric
cars among common people & encourage
sustainable consumption.
... An attitude can summarize positive or negative evaluations, emotional reactions and predispositions regarding an object or an idea (Kotler, Dubois, & Manceau, 2003). The attitude of individuals can be inherited, at least partially, through genetic transmission from parents (Olson, Vernon, Harris, & Jang, 2001), can be learned through direct or indirect experiences (De Houwer, Thomas, & Baeyens, 2001), can be learned from the media (Levina, Waldo, & Fitzgerald, 2000;Hargreaves & Tiggemann, 2003) or through interactions with other people (Poteat, 2007). ...
The paper presents an analysis of consumer attitudes regarding private pre-university education services and provides a view of consumer behavior with the use of the three components of attitude: affective component, cognitive component and conative component. The objective of this analysis was to study and identify visible and less visible attitudes regarding the use of private education services. Attitude is one of the essential variables of behavior that can influence the buyer’s decision when they want to purchase a product or a service. The qualitative research that has been conducted in order to investigate the subject regarding attitude has revealed that attitude is closely linked to financial elements, distribution, placement, advertising or social pressure. Children’s education is a very important subject for both parents and future parents and thus a series of particularities can be extracted from the relations that form between attitude and perception, attitude and learning, attitude and motivation and attitude and effective behavior. Attitude represents a state of mental promptitude, organized through experience, that exercises a dynamic influence on the response of the individual. Attitude can have a positive direction or a negative direction; it can have low or high intensity and can be of many types.
... Jang and Lee found that participants who listened to "Born This Way" placed more emphasis on genetic causation when evaluating gay rights than those who listened to the instrumental version of the song, or those who were not exposed to any stimuli. Alternatively, Levina et al. (2000) focused on the effects of visual media on undergraduate students in Illinois. One group was exposed to an antigay video, the second group watched a pro-gay video, and the third group was exposed to a neutral video. ...
This research analyses sexual prejudice in sixteen dancehall and reggae songs—two musical genres indigenous to Jamaica. The analysis provides us with insights on the lenses through which some Jamaicans view same-sex relationships and how sexual prejudice is normalised and justified. In this sample of songs, homosexuality is presented as (1) a violation of gendered norms, (2) sinful, (3) unnatural, (4) a threat to society and (5) a foreign lifestyle. The presentation of homosexuality as a foreign lifestyle suggests that antigay prejudice could be related to fears of neo-imperialism and could be a means of rejecting ideological intrusions from the West.
... Five weeks after exposure to audio-visual programs, there were no significant difference. Similarly, Levina, Waldo and Fitzgerald (2000), also, studied the effects of visual media on attitudes toward gay men and lesbians by exposing 3 groups of participants to a brief video in a pre-post research design. The results indicated that the participants' attitudes were significantly different from the pre-test, with attitudes of the pro-gay video group being most positive, and those in the anti-gay video group being most negative. ...
While there have been advancements in the pro-homosexuality attitudes and civil rights of homosexual individuals in recent times, the progress is mostly confined to the Western nations. Homosexuality is largely considered a taboo in India with negative attitudes prevailing in the general public. The present research aimed at examining the impact of audiovisual intervention on students' attitude towards homosexuality. The sample included 108 undergraduate students (M-54, F-54) in the age range 18-21 years studying in Delhi. The participants completed the Homosexuality Attitude Scale (Kite & Deaux, 1986) prior to and after viewing two intervention videos shown on consecutive days. Comparisons between the pre-intervention and the post-intervention scores of males, females and the total sample were done using t-test. The results indicated significant positive attitude change in the total sample and the male subjects. The attitude of female subjects towards homosexuality also became more favourable; however, the change was not significant in nature.
... This omission of representation shaped a negative perception of the LGBTQ community in the broader mainstream audience (Jenness, 1995). However, in many societies, media portrayed a growing acceptance and a positive acknowledgment of the LGBTQ community (Levina, Waldo, & Fitzgerald, 2006). That transition did not happen by osmosis. ...
This article examines how New Zealand activists in the lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) community of the 1960s and 1970s worked to co-create their own media representation and production. Through the memories of 29 activists who were involved in the LGBT political movement of the time, this article explores how LGBT communities used potentially harmful media stereotypes to their own advantage and how they worked to purposefully manage their representation as well as media production. Activists depended on diagnostic, prognostic, and motivational framing to amplify, extend, bridge, and transform what it meant to be LGBTQ in New Zealand. At the time, the media represented a very mainstream, and conservative, vision of the LGBT community. The media frames and media representations used at the time were systematic processes to reaffirm intended realities of social, economic and political power. The early work of these activists managed to change their intended reality through dogged determination. Media representation of the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) community differs dramatically according to geography, religion, politics, and myriad other contributing factors. In much of the world, media are now an instrumental tool for LGBTQ voices, but yet this has not always been the case, nor is this consistent across the globe. Indeed, in parts of the world, the media continue to simply not address the issues of LGBTQ communities. This article aims to examine how prominent LGBTQ activists during the 1960s and 1970s believed they used their tools to affect their print media in one particular country, New Zealand. Through in-depth interviews with 29 individuals who were active in the LGBTQ political movement throughout the 1960s and 1970s, this article examines how LGBTQ communities transformed how print media framed their movement.
... Dans la même conception, les bénéfices de la divulgation sont aussi largement postulés : plus de satisfaction personnelle avec son niveau d'ouverture, moins de peur d'être exposé·e, plus d'engagement organisationnel affectif, moins de conflit entre la vie privée et la vie professionnelle, plus de satisfaction au travail, et plus de proximité dans les relations professionnelles (Boyles, 2008 ;Bradford et al., 1997 ;Clair et al., 2005 ;Croteau & Lark, 1995 ;Day & Schoenrade, 1997 ;Griffith & Hebl, 2002). Le dévoilement peut également donner lieu à un changement d'attitude positif vis-à-vis des personnes LGB (Clair et al., 2005), puisque les personnes hétérosexuelles ayant plus de contact quantitatif et qualitatif avec celles LGB montrent des attitudes plus favorables à leur égard (Cotten-Huston & Waite, 2000 ;Levina, Waldo, & Fitzgerald, 2000 ;Lytle, Dyar, Levy, & London, 2017 ;Steffens & Wagner, 2004). ...
Résumé
Les personnes lesbiennes, gaies et bisexuelles (LGB) peuvent mobiliser différentes stratégies pour dévoiler ou cacher leur orientation sexuelle sur leur lieu de travail. Cette étude a pour objectif d’explorer les relations entre les micro-agressions homonégatives (MAH) perçues au travail et ces stratégies, ainsi que l’effet médiateur du climat organisationnel de diversité sexuelle dans ces relations. Un échantillon de 135 salarié·e·s LGB a répondu à un questionnaire en ligne portant sur ces trois variables. Les données ont été traitées par le biais de régressions linéaires simples et de méthodes d’analyse en pistes causales. Les résultats ont mis en avant que l’effet des MAH sur la gestion de son identité sexuelle au travail était médiatisé par le climat de diversité sexuelle. Il existe également une relation directe positive entre les MAH et le dévoilement. Les résultats sont discutés à la lumière de la littérature existant sur le sujet. Des perspectives aux niveaux systémique et individuel pour soutenir le climat de diversité sexuelle et réduire la discrimination vécue par les salarié·e·s LGB sont envisagées.
... Representation of events, as well as of those individuals associated with events (entertainers, sports personalities, etc.), have numerous potential influences beyond the immediate leisure or media economy within which they are often conceived. Scholars have, for example, explored aspects of gender representation (Boykoff and Yasuoka, 2015;Fink and Kensicki, 2002;Levina et al., 2000;Liao and Markula, 2009;Miller, 1975;Signorielli et al., 1994;Tseng, 2015), ethnicity (Van Sterkenburg and Knoppers, 2004), stereotyping (Beasley and Collins Standley, 2002;Desmarais and Bruce, 2010) and nationalism (Militz, 2015;Tseng, 2015) by examining the ways in which events are represented in text and talk. However, there is a vast array of potential influences which remain undertheorised and which might usefully be explored through critical discourse studies. ...
... Gay men are also often stereotyped as being more fashionable than straight men (Cotner & Burkley, 2013;Levina, Waldo, & Fitzgerald, 2000;Morrison & Bearden, 2007). Intertwined with this cultural script is the claim that gay men control the fashion industry and are therefore responsible for perpetuating the thin body ideal that oppresses women. ...
On New Year’s Day 2016, a photograph of a breastfeeding woman taken by a Finnish celebrity sparked a social media debate over mothers nursing in public. By analyzing Instagram posts and a discussion forum thread, this article explores the affective body politics involved in this short-lived yet intense social media debate. It examines the power of hashtags and images in mobilizing motherhood as a site of political agency. Concurrently, it investigates how social media users negotiated the appropriate public presentations of the female body and how the celebrity’s gayness became an object of negative affect. The analysis of the incident makes visible how social norms concerning motherhood and heteronormativity are articulated in social media. It also demonstrates how affect sticks to images, texts, and bodies and becomes a binding force in social media discussions concerning them. The article argues that Instagram’s hashtag practices facilitated affective engagement for those following #teriniitti. It further argues that the affective dynamics of the case demonstrate how affective intensities stick on gay bodies and lactating bodies as objects of disgust, fascination, and desire.
... In an opposite direction, disclosure of sexual orientation in the workplace is expected to influence the attitudes towards gay people. (Previous) exposure to homosexuality or knowledge of a gay person is related to individual's attitudes towards homosexuality-the less people are in a (conscious) contact with gays and lesbians, the more hostile attitudes they have toward them (see for example Herek and Capitanio 1996;Estrada and Weiss 1999;Basow and Johnson 2000;Cotten-Huston and Waite 2000;Levina et al. 2000;Horvath and Ryan 2003). ...
This article empirically investigates the relationships in the workplace between homonegativity, the disclosure of sexual orientation, perceived discrimination, the reporting of discriminatory incidents and an individual’s employment status. I utilize information reported by gays and lesbians in the EU lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) survey. The data was analysed using generalised structural equation modelling and the logistic regression model. The results indicate that gays and lesbians conceal their sexual orientation more in hostile workplaces. A higher level of concealment is linked with an increased perception of discrimination and with a lower likelihood of reporting discriminatory incidents. Perceived discrimination and (unlike hypothesised) also concealment of sexual orientation positively relate to the probability of being unemployed. This implies a vicious circle in which hostile attitudes force gay employees to conceal their sexuality which in turn limits their ability to confront discriminatory behaviour.
... Furthermore, it has been suggested that positive media representations are linked to more affirmative societal attitudes towards sexual minorities (Calzo and Ward 2009;Levina et al. 2000;Adamczyk 2017). Adamczyk (2017) argues that mediated representations that include positive and affirming portrayals, as seen in the American entertainment industry's inclusion of gay characters in popular TV-shows in the 1990s, open the way for greater societal tolerance by making the featured groups a part of public life (Adamczyk 2017). ...
Although invisibility has historically provided a degree of protection, Lesbian, Gay, Bi-, Trans-, Queer and Intersexuals need to materialize publicly as a group to successfully advocate for their rights. Decades of systematic exclusion of the community from traditional discourse-producing sites, such as media and physical spaces, could potentially render self-controlled digital spaces an attractive alternative for human rights advocacy and self-representation. The following article explores to what degree the Ugandan sexual minority community utilizes the microblogging platform Twitter’s inbuilt affordance of self-controlled visibility to counter and challenge pervasive homophobic discourses. Through a qualitative content analysis of a purposeful sample of tweets generated by the main sexual minority network (Sexual Minorities Uganda [SMUG]), during the latest general election, the study finds that the affordance of controlled visibility is not consistently exploited for disseminating alternative narratives to external audiences, but rather chooses to highlight the agency of SMUG and its network members.
... In addition to its contribution to the psychology of entertainment theory, this study is necessary due to the growing number of female audiovisual representations with non-normative sexual behaviour in many Western countries (Soto-Sanfiel and Ibiti 2016). Additionally, it is relevant given studies suggesting that the media representation of lesbian and gay characters influences audience attitudes and prejudice (Levina et al. 2000;Mazur and Emmers-Sommer 2002;Madzrevic 2016;Schiappa et al. 2005Schiappa et al. , 2006Madzarevic andSoto-Sanfiel 2017, 2018;Villegas-Simón et al. 2018). Moreover, the demand for further empirical data about the reception of characters with different sexual orientation (Golom and Mohr 2011;Gomillion and Giuliano 2011;Malici 2014;Soto-Sanfiel et al. 2014a, b) also contributes to the importance of this study. ...
This article observes to what extent prejudice towards lesbians (homophobia) and the moral evaluation of this sexual orientation affect responses to narratives about lesbians and towards their lesbian protagonists. Two hundred six students (79.6% women, MAge = 20.68, SD = 2.36, RgAge = 18–33) of different sexual orientations completed a questionnaire that measured homophobia, the morality attributed to lesbians and familiarity with lesbians in everyday life. Following this, they watched a film about a lesbian community with a morally controversial lesbian protagonist. Later, they completed a questionnaire that measured the protagonist’s attributes and characteristics, the perceived realism of the story, enjoyment and appreciation. Statistical analyses show that homophobia and morality impact on the evaluation of the lesbian protagonist’s actions and attributes and enjoyment of the film. Nonetheless, homophobia, morality, familiarity with lesbians, and the gender and sexual orientation of the receiver do not impact on appreciation or perceived realism. In fact, appreciation and perceived realism are independent of attitudes towards lesbians. These results reveal the role of prejudice and morality in film reception. They also enable us to characterise enjoyment and appreciation of stories particularly about lesbians.
... Riggle, Ellis, and Crawford (1996) found that viewing The Times of Harvey Milk, a documentary about the gay politician, significantly affected responses on the Attitudes Toward Homosexuality Scale (Herek, 1984). Similarly, participants who viewed a documentary about parents of gay children scored significantly higher on the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Attitudes Toward Gay Men scales (indicating more favorable attitudes) than those shown a documentary opposing the protection of gays and lesbians in federal legislation (Levina, Waldo, & Fitzgerald, 2000). Levina and colleagues (2000) found that positive changes in attitudes toward the civil rights of gay and lesbian people, as measured by the Gay and Lesbian Social Issues Scale, remained significantly increased 2 weeks after viewing the videos. ...
In spring 2015, Robinson's article entitled, “The role of anxiety in bisexual women's use of cannabis in Canada,” was published in Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity, presenting findings from a mixed-methods study of bisexual women's cannabis use. The study found that 33.6% of bisexual women in the province of Ontario, Canada, had used cannabis in the past year; 5 times greater than that for Canadian women in general (Bauer et al., 2010; Trocki et al., 2009). Robinson (2015) explored possible causes for this pattern, and found that bisexual women report using cannabis to cope with anxiety, pain, stress, and biphobia. In the weeks after Robinson's (2015) study was published, Samantha Allen (2015) interviewed her about the findings. On May 4, 2015, Allen published an article in The Daily Beast entitled “Why do bi women smoke so much weed?” Soon other online news media were publishing stories referencing Robinson's (2015) findings, with most sources picking up the story from Allen's (2015) article. Robinson noticed that a larger than usual quantity of online news media articles had been published referencing her study. For the present study, we identified 19 online news media articles. We critically analyzed the content of those articles and their associated images, focusing on how bisexual women and bisexuality were represented. In this paper, we present our content analysis to better understand how bisexual women and bisexuality are portrayed in online news media, as well as consider the impact that these representations of bisexual women and bisexuality may have on the health and well-being of bisexual women.
... In their view, the media could do that, not only by giving information about them, but also by promoting tolerance. Research shows that exposure to pro-gay content increases heterosexuals' positive attitude towards gays and lesbians, while anti-gay messages lead to negative attitudes (Bond and Compton, 2015;Levina et al., 2000;Schiappa et al., 2006). Participant's answers show that they agree with this statement. ...
This article explores the role of journalism in the social exclusion of lesbian, gay and bisexual people. Studying the case of North Cyprus, the last place in Europe to decriminalize same-sex relationships, it investigates the relationship between journalists and lesbian, gay and bisexual people by focusing on their experiences, opinions and practices and how these contribute to the social inclusion and exclusion of lesbian, gay and bisexual people. Through analysis of interviews conducted with members of the lesbian, gay and bisexual community and journalists, the article demonstrates the processes by which lesbian, gay and bisexual people become socially excluded. The findings show that homophobia within the news media, journalists’ lack of awareness and/or understanding of the social concerns of lesbian, gay and bisexual people, public pressure and lack of communication between the lesbian, gay and bisexual community and journalists contribute to processes by which lesbian, gay and bisexual people become socially excluded.
... Media may play an important role in shaping individuals' perspectives of sexual minorities (Levina, Waldo, & Fitzgerald, 2000;Lee & Hicks, 2011). The majority of participants in this study were first told about same-gender marriage and parenting through political speeches and/or in the media, and the majority eventually developed acceptant attitudes. ...
The objective of this study was to document the prevalence and evolution of sexual
prejudice toward gay men and lesbian, same-gender marriage and same-gender
parenting among a large sample of Portuguese young adults. The sample consisted of
704 self-identified heterosexual individuals (24% men and 76% women), aged between
18 and 30 years (M = 22; SD = 3), who participated in an online survey. ANOVA results
revealed that women were less sexual prejudiced, were less likely to endorse social
etiological beliefs of homosexuality, and were more supportive of same-gender
marriage and same-gender parenting than were men. Further mediation analysis
revealed that the effects of gender, religiosity, importance of religious beliefs, and
political leaning on the support for same-gender marriage and same-gender parenting
were partially mediated by etiological beliefs and attitudes toward gay men and
lesbians. The complexity of attitudes toward same-gender marriage and same-gender
parenting were highlighted, indicating how attitudes toward gay men and lesbians and
the belief that homosexuality is controllable impacts on the support for same-gender
parented families. These results are important to inform affirmative polities designed to
correct inequalities and recognize same-gender families.
... A study by Riggle, Ellis, and Crawford (1996) found a decrease in prejudice in a college student sample after participants viewed the film The Life and Times of Harvey Milk, a sympathetic biography about gay politician Harvey Milk. Similarly, Levina, Waldo, and Fitzgerald (2000) found that heterosexual participants who were shown a video of gay individuals portrayed in a positive light were significantly more likely, after 10 to 14 days, to have more positive attitudes toward gay people than participants who saw a negative video portrayal of gay individuals. Finally, Schiappa et al. (2005) explored the effect of repeated exposure to gay characters and demonstrated that such exposure improved viewers' attitudes toward gay men. ...
This study used experimental methods to examine the effects of a media portrayal of two gay 13-year-old characters on young viewers' attitudes toward LGBTQ people and issues by exploring the influence of gender identity and sexual orientation on viewers' reactions. An online quasi-experiment of 469 participants, ages 13–21, revealed that gender identity and sexual orientation influenced viewers' emotional involvement with the storyline and identification with the characters, which was associated with a change in attitudes. For LGBTQ youth, the story evoked hope and fostered positive attitudes; however, it tended to produce a boomerang effect among heterosexual/cisgender youth, eliciting the emotion of disgust and leading to significantly more negative attitudes toward LGBTQ people and issues.
... A number of studies echo this finding on a national scale as well (Anderson and Fetner 2008;Brewer 2003;Olson, Cadge, and Harrison 2006). As Figure 1demonstrates, this is likely to occur because of society's changing attitudes toward same-sex couples and the increase in positive images of both gays and lesbians where young people are being raised in a more tolerant society (Becker 2006;Davis 1992;Fiorina 2005;Levina, Waldo, and Fitzgerald 2000;Mayer 1992;Tropiano 2002). Thus far, social science research on Latinos finds that while most Latinos lean Democrat, they tend to be conservative on social issues, with most studies citing religion and religiosity as the main reason behind this trend (Abrajano, Alvarez, and Nagler 2008;Bolks et al. 2000). ...
This article examines Mexican-American political attitudes on same-sex marriage (SSM). This article makes a significant contribution to the study of Latino politics by examining generational influences and reexamining the effects of religious preference on Mexican-American attitudes on SSM. Using data from the Pew Hispanic Forum in 2006 on religion, I find that Mexican-Americans in later generational cohorts (i.e., the second generation and beyond) are much more likely to be in favor of SSM than earlier cohorts. Likewise, age cohort replacement significantly affects SSM in addition to generational differences with younger cohorts supporting SSM at a greater rate than older age cohorts, though this is limited only to the first and second generations. I also find that Catholic opposition to SSM may have been overstated, while evangelical opposition to SSM is statistically significant, though strongly affected by generational differences. This has fundamental implications for the Republican Party, which has attempted to gain Latino support by pressing conservative moral positions onto the national agenda. Given the results of this study, such a strategy may backfire on the Republican Party over the long term.
... The reason for this is that the less in contact people are with gay men and lesbians the more hostile attitudes they have toward gay men and lesbians. There is an empirically strong relationship between previous exposure to gay men and lesbians and attitudes toward gay men and lesbians (see, for example, Estrada and Weiss 1999;Basow and Johnson 2000;Cotton-Huston and Waite 2000;Levina, Waldo, and Fitzgerald 2000). So in the worst scenario, discrimination against gay men and lesbians in certain occupations may lead to occupational sorting, which in turn leads to a small population of and limited exposure to gay men and lesbians in those occupations. ...
This article presents the first field experiment on sexual orientation discrimination in the hiring process in the Swedish labor market. Job applications were sent to about 4000 employers in 10 different occupations in Sweden. Gender and sexual orientation were randomly assigned to applications. The results show that sexual orientation discrimination exists in the Swedish labor market. The discrimination against the gay male applicant and the lesbian applicant varied across different occupations and appears to be concentrated in the private sector. The results also show that the gay male applicant was discriminated against in typical male-dominated occupations, whereas the lesbian applicant was discriminated against in typical female-dominated occupations. Theoretical implications are discussed.
... Students entering professional healthcare programs bring with them their personal experiences with gays and lesbians. Social contact might include a range of experiences including media sources (such as television, newspapers, and movies (Levina, Waldo, & Fitzgerald, 2000) or direct contact (such as a co-worker, volunteer, or personal friendship with a gay or lesbian person). Students' personal experiences, previous social contact and interactions with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and/or transgender individuals might be reflected in their attitudes toward homosexuality. ...
... For example, changing socialisation patterns and constructed meanings along with age have been found to significantly influence attitudes toward SSM. Not only are younger generations developing increased tolerance towards sexual minorities, but progressive inclusion of positive images of lesbian and gay people in the media is leading to more support for SSM (Becker, 2006;Levina, Waldo & Fitzgerald, 2000). Similarly, McDermott and Blair (2012) explored the effects of cross-cultural effects on attitudes toward SSM and found that attitudes in Ireland, UK, USA and Canada varied significantly. ...
Aims and scope The Gay and Lesbian Issues and Psychology Review ('the Review') is a peer-reviewed publication that is available online through the Australian Psychological Society. Its remit is to encourage research that challenges the stereotypes and assumptions of pathology that have often inhered to research on lesbians, gay men, bisexual, trans and queer (LGBTQ) people. The aim of the Review is thus to facilitate discussion over the direction of LGBTQ psychology both within Australia and abroad, and to provide a forum within which academics, practitioners and lay people may publish. The Review is open to a broad range of material, and especially welcomes research, commentary and reviews that critically evaluate the status quo in regards to LGBTQ issues. The Review also seeks papers that redress the imbalance that has thus far focused on the issues facing white lesbians and gay men, to the exclusion of other sexual, gender and racial groups. The Review encourages the elaboration of an expansive approach to psychological research on people of a diverse range of sexual and non-gender normative groups, and publishes articles from across a range of disciplines including (but not limited to) psychology, social work, cultural studies, sociology, gender studies, politics , history and legal studies.
... Visual metaphors have been found to increase the persuasiveness of arguments in advertising (Jeong 2008). Positive visual representations in televised media have been found to infl uence how individuals felt towards marginalized groups (Levina, Waldo & Fitzgerald 2006). If marginalized groups are visually portrayed negatively, then individuals feel much more negatively about that group. ...
... In this sense, we feel it adds relevant information to the scarce studies that have furthered the definition of the appreciation of narrative properties, such as Hofer (2013), Oliver and Bartsch (2011) and Oliver and Hartmann (2011), because it contributes to the understanding of the perception by different audiences of homosexuality represented in media, and to homosexuality itself. Given that, generally speaking, audiences of all sexual orientation and genres manifest appreciation after the reception of lesbian narratives, it can be presumed that the presence of these stories in the media will help reduce prejudices among different groups of people and achieve greater acceptance of homosexuality in society, as has been suggested by preliminary studies such as Levina et al. (2000) , Mazur and Emmers- Sommer (2002), Riggle, Ellis and Crawford (1996), Rössler and Brosius (2001) and Schiappa et al. (2006). Also, the presence of these stories in the media will help homosexuals to define their sexual identities and construct healthy interpersonal relations with all individuals, by providing models to compare themselves with, as Gomillion and Giulian (2010) and Kivel and Kleiver (2000) suggest. ...
... Los resultados de las investigaciones han identificado de forma sistemática una relación estadísticamente significativa entre homofobia y las siguientes variables: Ø atribuciones sobre el origen de la homosexualidad (genético/ambiental) (Aguero, Block y Byrne, 1984;Ernulf, Innala, & Whitam, 1989;Herek, 2002;O'Hare, Williams y Ezoviski, 1996;Oldham y Passer, 1999;Piskur y Degelman, D. 1992;Röndahl, Innala y Carlsson, 2004;Schneider y Lewis, 1984;Tate y Longo, 2004;Van der Stoep y Green, 1988;Whitley, 1990) Ø autoritarismo (Altemeyer, 1996;Altemeyer y Hunsberger, 1992;Greendlinger, 1985;Herek, 1988;Laythe, Finkel y Kirkpatrick, 2001;Quiles, Betancor, Rodríguez, Rodríguez y Coello, 2003;Withley, 1999;Whitley y Lee, 2000) Ø conservadurismo político (Heaven y Oxman, 1999;Morrison y Morrison, 2002) Ø conservadurismo sexual (Ficarrotto, 1990;Minnigerode, 1976) Ø contacto social con personas homosexuales (Agnew et al., 1993;Basow y Johnson, 2000;Berkman & Zinberg, 1997;Cotten-Huston & Waite, 2000;Estrada y Weiss, 1999;Herek, 1984Herek, , 1988Herek y Capitanio, 1996;Herek y Glunt, 1993;Levina, Waldo y Fitzgerald, 2000;Millham, San Miguel y Kellogg, 1976;Pantoglun-An y Clair, 1986;Sakalli y Ugurlu, 2002) Ø discriminación y prejuicio (Beran, Claybaker, Dillon y Haverkamp, 1992) Ø distancia social (Toro-Alfonso y Varas-Díaz, 2004;Weinberg, 1972) Ø hostilidad y agresión (Herek, 1993;Logan, 1996) Ø miedo al SIDA (O'Hare, Williams y Ezoviski, 1996) Ø nivel educativo (Luhrs, Crawford y Goldberg, 1991 Ø religiosidad (Britton, 1990;Johnson, Brems y Alford-Keating, 1997;Laythe, Finkel y Kirkpatrick, 2001;Schwartz, 2005;Wilkinson, 2004) Ø sexismo (Morrison y Morrison, 2002;Stark, 1991) Ø sexo biológico (D'Augelli y Rose, 1990;Herek, 1988Herek, , 2002Johnson, Brems y Alford-Keating, 1997;Kite, 1984Kite, , 1994Kite y Deaux, 1986;Kite y Whitley, 1996;Menston, Trapnell y Gorzalka, 1998;Patoglun-An y Clair, 1986) Ø socialización del rol de género tradicional (Agnew et al., 1993;Basow y Johnson, 2000;Cotten-Huston & Waite, 2000;Ficarotto, 1990;Kerns y Fine, 1994;Kite y Whitley, 1996;Louderback y Whitley, 1997;MacDonald y Games, 1974;MacDonald, Huggins, Young y Swanson, 1973;Morrison, Parriag, & Morrison, 1999;Patel, Long, McCammon y Wuensch, 1995;Whitley, 1987;Whitley & Aegisdottir, 2000) En la investigación que presentamos nos hemos centrado en el estudio de la relación entre las creencias sobre el origen de la homosexualidad y la manifestación de respuestas homofóbicas. Nuestra hipótesis de investigación señala que aquellos sujetos que creen que la homosexualidad tiene un origen genético o biológico manifestarán opiniones homofóbicas de menor grado que quienes consideran que la homosexualidad se aprende. ...
RESUMEN: La temática de la parentalidad por padres del mismo sexo es controvertida. Nuestra investigación mide las creencias de los estudiantes de psicología hacía los padres homosexuales y sus hijos. El estudio incluye 266 estudiantes de Psicología (Universidad de Valencia, España). El principal propósito de nuestra investigación es investigar sus creencias hacia los padres gay y las madres lesbianas y su relación con las atribuciones que realizan sobre las causas de la homosexualidad. Los resultados de la literatura sugieren que cuando se realizan atribuciones sobre un origen genético o biológico de la homosexualidad entonces las actitudes son menos negativas que cuando se cree que la homosexualidad es aprendida, adquirida o elegida. En términos generales, los resultados de nuestra investigación señalan puntuaciones bajas en el constructo homofobia explícita, tal y como se plantea en las hipótesis. Además, se confirma la tendencia de que aquellos que creen que la homosexualidad es aprendida manifiestan opiniones menos positivas hacia la homosexualidad que los que creen que es una conducta biológica. Abstract The issue of same-sex parenting is controversial. This preliminary investigation assessed psychology students' beliefs toward homosexual parents and their children. The study included 266 students of Psychology (University of Valencia, Spain). The aim of this investigation is to report a study that investigated the beliefs of psychological students towards lesbians and gay parents and the causes of homosexuality. Previous research has demonstrated that those who believe that homosexuality is genetically o biologically caused have less negative attitudes towards gays and lesbians that those who believe it is learned, acquired or chosen. Overall, the findings showed fewer homophobic beliefs than were anticipated. Those who held congenital belief expressed more positive attitudes towards homosexuality than those who believed that homosexuality was acquired. The role played beliefs about the causes of homosexuality should consider changing attitudes.
... Indeed, studies have shown that exposure to media portrayals of gay and lesbian characters is significantly associated with a decrease in prejudice among certain groups of people (Levina, Waldo & Fitzgerald, 2000;Mazur & Emmers-Sommer, 2002;Schiappa, Gregg & Hewes, 2005. Although none of these studies used probability sampling, we expect the relationship to hold true for the general population. ...
This national survey tracks changes in Singaporeans' attitudes toward lesbians and gay men (ATLG) and examines value predispositions, interpersonal contact, and mediated exposure as predictors of ATLG and acceptance of homosexuals. The study replicates and extends research done previously and addresses temporal shifts in values and views. Findings indicate that the relatively small positive change in ATLG from 2005 to 2010 was mainly due to values and demographic factors. The addition of several new predictive variables increased the variance explained for why people hold certain ATLG and their acceptance. Conformity to norms, intrinsic religiosity, Western orientation, interpersonal contact, and mediated exposure were significantly associated with both ATLG and acceptance of homosexuals. Perception of homosexuality as a choice was significantly associated with ATLG but not with acceptance of homosexuals. Asian orientation and extrinsic religiosity showed no significant association with either dependent variable. The findings are discussed in the context of a multicultural Asian society and future directions for research.
... News images are seen to be so powerful, that in some instances they actually can become ''lived images'' for audiences (Coonfield and Huxford 2009, 457). Positive visual representations in televised media have been found to influence how individuals feel toward marginalized groups (Levina, Waldo, and Fitzgerald 2006). Users receive important information from visual communication that they do not receive from accompanying texts. ...
Visual imagery, while largely overlooked in mass communication research, is central to how organizations represent themselves, make meaning, create identities, and communicate with the rest of the world. This research explores visual differences between alternative and mainstream news websites along the conceptual categorization of deviance. More deviant groups have historically represented themselves through alternative media with themes of confrontation and challenge, often through violent or sexualized imagery. However, online communication is now largely commercialized and commodified in order to professionalize a consumerist aesthetic that can attract mass audiences and return a profit. This research explores the visual communication of both alternative and mainstream media in an online environment where the whole world is watching.
This instrument posits the GCC equation to outline the parameters of the Cordillera Corridor, Tea Trade Treaty. A tea corridor is the strategy for resource use of rugged mountain terrain in the Cordillera, Philippines; and the GCC equation substantiates the rudiments for cross-border competence. GCC would mean the “Gateway to Cross-border Competence” defined in a mathematical construct. The equation has specific relevance in the conjectures of tea cultivation, for the empowerment of Accession. GCC EQUATION = χYZ The strategy significantly underscores trade as a function of equity. With reason of, the research is a manifestation of the theory of change by illustration of the theory of competition. Inclusion and facilitation are the mechanisms of development, construed though farm support infrastructure, investing in health and wellness. Facilitation introduces the earmarking of Tea Tariffs for compulsory university schooling of the generation next. Trade escalates Government liquidity and institutionalizes stable farmer earnings. Given so, good life for these smallholder farmers is achievable. A special section captures the smallholder farmer opinion and sentiment in written and conversational exchange of ideas. Despite the uncalled hyperbole of a Cordillera Corridor intentions for manipulation, the section exposed the farmers' gung-ho to participate in tea cultivation for trade, that can only be curtailed by dearth of expertise and capital.
Full Version available at Department of Agriculture Philippines, Bureau of Plant Industry
https://www.buplant.da.gov.ph/index.php/current-publications/theses-and-dissertations/20423-inclusive-growth-the-cordillera-corridor-tea-trade-treaty
While gay and lesbian content has increased in the media, there are still visible differences in the non-heterosexual content when compared to heterosexual content in the media. Prior to 1998, there were relatively little or no roles for gay characters in film and television. Further, it was uncommon for gays and lesbians to be positively represented in the media. In the last decade, the representation and the roles for lesbians, gays, bisexuals and transgender people have changed tremendously. The current textual analysis of prime-time sitcoms is intended to identify the growth and development of scripted content for lesbian gay, bisexual, transgendered, and queer (LGBTQ) characters in comedies known to have reoccurring LGBTQ characters. Specifically, this analysis evaluates the verbal messages related to the general dialogue, sexual comments, romantic comments, and general humor of characters in 20 episodes of two NBC sitcoms from the 2017 season. Implications of the media effect on audiences in which the character's intersectionality is acknowledge and unpacked using humor are discussed. Acknowledgement This research was supported by Delaware State University (DSU) and the faculty in the Department of Mass Communications, Visual and Performing arts who provided insight and expertise in discussing, reviewing and interpreting the research on media representation of members of the LGBTQ community. I would also like to thank the Diversity and Inclusion Unit at DSU under the direction of Mrs. Irene Chapman-Hawkins and Pamela Gresham, for conducting a campus-wide diversity and inclusion survey which provided additional insight into how members of our campus community feel about the representation and support of diverse members of our student, faculty and staff population. I would like to extend thanks to Professor Tonya Brown, Baltimore City Community College, for her editorial review and for challenging my insight and lastly, I would like to extend thanks and appreciation to my family members who have stood boldly in their own truths as members of the LGBTQ community.
This study analyzes whether online political activities have an important impact on attitudes toward the legalization of same-sex marriage and the anti-discrimination law and whether these effects are different by the religion of voters. The main findings are as follows. First, the ideology variable has a significant effect on attitude toward legalizing same-sex marriage and enacting anti-discrimination law. Second, the higher the degree of online political activities, the more likely they will support two issues. Third, the effect on attitudes toward the enactment of anti-discrimination law has appeared different by religion. In other words, Protestants, compared to other religions, are more likely to oppose the enactment of anti-discrimination laws as the level of online political activities increased. Our study is meaningful in that we found online political activities play an important role in making voters' attitudes positively toward the enhancement of the right of sexual minorities. Also, although ideological conflicts are usually intense in diplomatic and security issues in Korea, the sexual minority issue would be likely to be an crucial as a dimension of ideological conflicts.
El presente número de la revista Comparative Cultural Studies - European and Latin
American Perspectives se enfoca en una temática muy importante, tanto desde el punto de vista académico como el social: las relaciones entre discriminación y comunicación, y, más específicamente, en cómo se expresa la discriminación en los principales actos comunicativos, cara a cara y masivos.
The contemporary presence of images of hypermasculine aesthetics in gay visual culture results from gay men's response to being expected to behave like men (masculine performativity) despite being told through stereotypes and homophobia that they are not men. By fashioning themselves after archetypal masculine icons, like the cowboy, gay ‘clones’ represent a nostalgic, romantic longing for ‘a man's man’ that is traditionally associated with heterosexuality and does not carry the stigma associated with over-the-top, effeminate queers. Visual manifestations of the ‘macho’ gay body, and its accoutrements, become sites of resistance through which ideological notions of gay male inferiority and heteronormative male superiority are challenged, re-appropriated and even subverted. Yet, such representations of homomasculinity, which act as ‘templates’ of estimable physical qualities for gay men, are based on a stifling stereotype of gay identity that obscures the race-based power relations within which it operates. The images conceived of as gay ‘colonial’ representations in this article originate from the gay media, fine arts and advertising, and are investigated in order to reveal the apparent standards of masculinity in queer culture, the fetishisation and commodification of the ‘frontier’, gay beauty ideals, and the racist ideologies that exemplify such homoerotic visual cultures.
Sexual orientation health disparities are rooted in sexual minorities’ exposure to stress and challenges to effective coping. This article reviews the “toolkit” of psychosocial interventions available to reduce sexual minority stress effects. A systematic search uncovered 44 interventions that both seek to reduce sexual minority stress at its source in unjust and discriminatory social structures as well as bolster sexual minorities’ stigma-coping abilities. These interventions were implemented in a variety of contexts (e.g., education, health care delivery) and utilized heterogeneous modalities to create change (e.g., policy implementation, role-playing activities). They were designed to affect change across structural, interpersonal, and individual levels. The interventions reviewed here, while in early stages of efficacy testing, possess potential for meeting the needs and resources of mental and medical health care providers, policy makers, and other stakeholders who aim to lessen the burden of sexual minority stress and the health disparities it generates.
This article examines bisexual men’s experiences of coming out across three age cohorts, and documents generational differences in the reception from friends and family regarding this disclosure. Drawing on in-depth interviews with an ethnically diverse sample of 60 openly bisexual men from the United States, we find that the oldest cohort encountered the most stereotypical views and prejudiced behaviour, while those of the youngest cohort expressed predominantly positive coming out stories. We attribute the cohort differences in these experiences to a decrease in cultural homophobia, alongside changes in the social organisation of masculinities.
This article describes a 2 × 2 factorial design experiment with 334 undergraduates testing the influence of exposure to gay-related photographs on endorsement of tolerant gay attitudes and likelihood to interact with the photograph within a social media context. Individuals were more likely to interact with and be attitudinally influenced by pro-gay rather than anti-gay content. Prior media exposure to gay-related content was positively associated with likelihood to interact with the photographs.
The experimental condition moderated this association. Our results provide support and extension for social cognitive theory, cultivation, and the heuristic processing model, as well as offer new information related to the study of social media, particularly those current conversational trends related to gay men and lesbians.
Disney recently revealed that its character Mulan was bisexual on its prime time television program, Once Upon A Time. This article critiques this queering's dimensions of freedom and domination through the lens of critical rhetoric. Mulan's queering represents a progressive step forward for Disney, as the company previously had no lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender (LGBT) characters. However, Disney's choice of the most masculine princess as a bisexual reinforces harmful stereotypes about LGBT women, whereas its choice to permit a bisexual character solely on a program aimed at adults neglects its role as a moral educator of children.
While largely overlooked in mass communication research, visual imagery is central to how organizations represent, make meaning, create identities, and communicate with the rest of the world (Messaris, 1994). This research explores visual differences between alternative and mainstream news sites along the conceptual categorization of deviance. More deviant groups have historically represented themselves through alternative media with themes of confrontation and challenge, often through violent or sexualized imagery (Ray & Marsh II, 2001). However, that might not still be the case in an online environment where the whole world is watching and the omnipresent ideology of capitalism may influence the commercialism and professionalisation of media messages.
ABSTRACT Drawing on 80 interviews and 17 months of participant observation in Lexington, Kentucky, this article details how individuals drew on three areas national and local discourse to conceptualize sexuality. Media, popular science, and religious discourses can be viewed as portraying sexuality bifocally; as both a binary of heterosexual/homosexual and as a non-binary that encompasses fluidity. However, individuals in Lexington drew on each of these areas of discourse differently. Religion was thought to produce a binary vision of sexuality, while popular science accounts were understood as both binary and not. The media was understood as portraying non-binary identities that were not viable, thus strengthening the sexual binary. These differing points of view led identities such as bisexual and queer to lack cultural intelligibility.
This study utilized national panel data gathered in 2008 (T1) and 2010 (T2) to examine associations between Black and White U.S. adults' pornography consumption and homosexuality attitudes (indexed via moral judgments of homosexuality and attitudes toward same‐sex marriage). Pornography consumption at T1 predicted interindividual change in attitudes toward more acceptance of homosexuality at T2 for moral individualists, Whites, and men. Women expressed more positive homosexuality attitudes than men, but their attitudes did not vary with exposure to pornography. Homosexuality attitudes at T1 did not predict interindividual change in the probability of pornography consumption at T2. Results were parallel when moral judgments of homosexuality and attitudes toward same‐sex marriage were analyzed separately or were combined into a composite index.
The present study examined cooperative contact as an antecedent to reducing negative attitudes toward gay men and lesbians, as measured by Herek's Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale—Short Form (ATLG). In a scripted role-play, participants were paired with a confederate who declared their character's sexual orientation as either heterosexual or homosexual. Hierarchical regression analysis demonstrated that contact with homosexual individuals affected participants' attitudes toward gay men and lesbians over and above the participants' prior ATLG scores. A moderating effect for prior ATLG scores was also found. The effect of confederate's sexual orientation was stronger for participants with more negative ATLG scores compared to those with more favorable attitudes. Implications for decreasing homophobia in organizations are discussed.
As early as trie seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, classical writers like John Locke, David Hume, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau introduced the concepts of climate of opinion, law of opinion and reputation, and public opinion. In their analyses their emphasis was on the social controls, social pressure dimension of the phenomenon—“all governments rest on opinions.” This concept of public opinion permits us to draw a few conclusions: public opinion can be used for social control because of the individual's fear of isolating himself; moreover, public opinion facilitates social integration and social stability, establishes priorities, and confers legitimation.
The intent of this study was to isolate and examine the presence of the Defensive Attitudinal Function as a predictor of affective responses of 70 heterosexual college students toward ay men and lesbians. Forty-four percent of the subjects were classified as Defensive Function Present (DFP) and 55% as Defensive Function Absent (DFA). The results indicate that DFP individuals exhibit significantly higher levels of homophobia than do DFA individuals. All subjects exhibited significantly lower levels of homophobia after viewing an intervention message. This result suggests that individuals for whom the defensive function is present may not be as resistant to attitude change as previously theorized.
The effect of educational intervention upon perceptions of sexual harassment was investigated. Also investigated was whether gender differences in perceptions would be altered by educational intervention. Participants were 51 female and 45 male undergraduates (36% Caucasian, 31% Asian, 17% Hispanic, 14% African American, 2% unspecified) randomly assigned to three groups: one group viewed a video of vignettes about sexual harassment; another read educational literature about sexual harassment; and a third group, the control group, completed a placebo task. A comparison of pretest and posttest results on the Sexual Harassment Inventory indicated that educational intervention impacted perception of sexual harassment, with the literature intervention showing superiority over the video intervention. Gender differences in sensitivity to sexual harassment in favor of females prior to intervention evened out following intervention.