The Construction of Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men
The Construction of Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men

Author: Tracy Luchetta

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2013-11-12

Total Pages: 129

ISBN-13: 1317790014

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Discover new information and perspectives on why today’s culture holds prejudice toward gay men and lesbians! The Construction of Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men explores the pervasiveness and widespread social acceptance of heterosexism in the United States by analyzing existing social and political systems for their representative beliefs. As a scholar or student of psychology, sociology, women’s studies/gay & lesbian studies, or social work who is concerned with the need for positive change in attitudes toward same-sex relationships at cultural, this book is for you. You will learn more about current indicators of heterosexism and homonegativity at multiple levels of representation, and better understand the cultural obstacles and openings for attitudinal transformation. IIn The Construction of Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men, empirical research, critical social analysis, theoretical development, and case study applications are used to investigate negative attitudes toward homosexuals. Some of the individual, social, and cultural prejudices that you will examine include: HIV/AIDS stigma and HIV/AIDS knowledge negative legal imagery of homosexuals portrayed by courts, such as in the 1996 majority opinion in Romer v. Evans case the lack of civil rights for homosexuals, including laws forbidding homosexual marriage homophobia in academia based on institutional policies for spouse benefits Judeo-Christian mythologies stereotypical masculine and feminine images portrayed by the media sociocultural and historical origins of sexism The Construction of Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men is a critical investigation of representations of homonegativism in American culture. You will gain a deeper understanding of individual identities and relational behaviors within today’s dominant culture through an analysis of collective ideologies, institutional policies, and more. The immense research and knowledge contained in this book provides you with a multifaceted view of current indicators of heterosexism and homonegativity and works to eliminate anti-gay/lesbian prejudice.

College Students' Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men
College Students' Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men

Author: Michael Robert Smith

Publisher:

Published: 2005

Total Pages: 11

ISBN-13:

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(Purpose) The purpose of the study was to assess changes in college students' attitudes towards lesbians and gay men over a five-year span. A secondary purpose of the study was to build a foundation for assessing the relationship between spirituality and observed attitudes. Previous studies have only used religiosity, which is one of the most significant predictors of negative attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. It is asserted here that spirituality is a different construct, and because of this, it was hypothesized that it would not be related to attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. (Methodology) The Attitudes toward Lesbians and Gay Men (ATLG) scale was administered to 544 college students at a midsize Midwestern University in late 1996, and followed up again in early 2002. The Spirituality Assessment Scale (SAS) was also administered in 2002. (Results) As expected, attitudes in 2002 were significantly more positive than in 1996, and as expected, level of spirituality was not significantly related to attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. (Conclusions) Results contribute to literature that indicates young adults are becoming increasingly more positive in their attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. Students at higher education institutions are perhaps now more willing to address issues related toward homosexuality because of a societal shift in attitudes. The importance of educators taking active stances to create successful academic learning environments is discussed. Furthermore, spirituality was not related to attitudes toward lesbians and gay men. (Recommendations) Because spirituality was not related to attitudes toward lesbians and gay men, results give credence to the theory that spirituality and religion are different constructs. Researchers must carefully and deliberately operationalize these constructs when considering them for inclusion in future research.

Lesbian and Gay Psychology
Lesbian and Gay Psychology

Author: Beverly Greene

Publisher: SAGE Publications

Published: 1994-01-05

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 145225463X

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More than ever before, heated public policy debates over sexual orientation point to a critical need for a clearer understanding of lesbians and gay men. Empirically rich and intellectually rigorous, Lesbian and Gay Psychology presents innovative empirical studies that explore the children of lesbians, internalized homophobia, lesbian and gay development, and aspects of relationship quality of cohabitating couples. Theoretical analyses of physical appearance, issues of sexual pride and shame in lesbians, impact of the feminist political movement, and heterosexual attitudes are also provided. A chapter on boundary issues in a lesbian therapist/client relationship adds to the diversity of perspectives contained in this volume. The accessible format and clear writing style contribute to making Lesbian and Gay Psychology an ideal resource for practitioners, interns, social service professionals and students. Anyone interested in seeking a deeper level of understanding into the complexities and subtleties of the lesbian and gay community will also find this volume an invaluable resource. "Using a `lesbigay′ affirmative perspective, this book takes us successfully toward the goal of building a theoretical and empirical knowledge base for understanding and improving the lives of lesbians and gay men. . . . I appreciated the variety of styles, approaches, and topics that the editors chose for this volume because it is this variety, as well as the content, that provokes the discussion and the evaluation of the concepts and research. This reviewer will be waiting and looking forward to future annual volumes." --Affilia "All of the contributors have broken ground in one way or another with their work, and this volume helpfully brings them together while also pointing us further ahead conceptually." --The Lesbian Review of Books

Stigma and Sexual Orientation
Stigma and Sexual Orientation

Author: Gregory M. Herek

Publisher: SAGE

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 289

ISBN-13: 0803953852

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Sponsored by the Society for the Psychological Study of Lesbian and Gay Issues, Division 44 of the American Psychological Association.

The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People
The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People

Author: Institute of Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2011-06-24

Total Pages: 293

ISBN-13: 0309210658

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At a time when lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals-often referred to under the umbrella acronym LGBT-are becoming more visible in society and more socially acknowledged, clinicians and researchers are faced with incomplete information about their health status. While LGBT populations often are combined as a single entity for research and advocacy purposes, each is a distinct population group with its own specific health needs. Furthermore, the experiences of LGBT individuals are not uniform and are shaped by factors of race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, geographical location, and age, any of which can have an effect on health-related concerns and needs. The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People assesses the state of science on the health status of LGBT populations, identifies research gaps and opportunities, and outlines a research agenda for the National Institute of Health. The report examines the health status of these populations in three life stages: childhood and adolescence, early/middle adulthood, and later adulthood. At each life stage, the committee studied mental health, physical health, risks and protective factors, health services, and contextual influences. To advance understanding of the health needs of all LGBT individuals, the report finds that researchers need more data about the demographics of these populations, improved methods for collecting and analyzing data, and an increased participation of sexual and gender minorities in research. The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People is a valuable resource for policymakers, federal agencies including the National Institute of Health (NIH), LGBT advocacy groups, clinicians, and service providers.

The Construction of the Lesbian and Gay Affirming Social Justice Competency Scale
The Construction of the Lesbian and Gay Affirming Social Justice Competency Scale

Author: Bobby Kizer

Publisher:

Published: 2011

Total Pages: 156

ISBN-13:

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Heterosexism is evident in the psychology and social policies of society. Despite numerous efforts to end discrimination based on many different cultural factors, heterosexism is frequently condoned and encouraged. In accordance with professional ethics codes, counselors and other health professionals must challenge this discrimination by promoting equitable access and distribution of resources to lesbian and gay individuals. It is not clear, however, if counselors and counselors in training acquire this social justice efficacy through training. In fact, there are not currently any tools to assess lesbian and gay affirming social justice advocacy. Despite a history of multiculturalism and social justice in the counseling field, there has been little research attention paid to measuring social justice attitudes and actions. The current project was to develop the Lesbian and Gay Affirming Social Justice Competency Scale [LGASJC], a scale to measure counselors' and psychologists' knowledge, attitudes, and actions regarding lesbian and gay affirming social justice advocacy based on the following a priori factors: (1) awareness of social injustice toward lesbian and gay individuals, (2) beliefs that support social equality for lesbians and gay men, (3) intentions to participate in lesbian and gay affirming social justice action, (4) lesbian and gay affirming social justice self-efficacy, and (5) the past and present participation in lesbian and gay affirming social justice action. Following the scale development technique described by Devellis (2003), a research team was assembled to create a large pool of items to measure the construct. These items were edited and reduced to about 10 items per hypothesized factor. Face validity of this 52 item scale was evaluated by a panel of experts in lesbian and gay psychology, social justice, and psychometrics. Following the recommendation of the expert panel, the team also created a 10 item measure of general attitudes towards social justice. These scales were administered via web-based survey along with measures of convergent validity. An exploratory factor analysis with a sample of 360 students and practitioners of counseling and counseling psychology was conducted for data reduction. Criterion and convergent validity were examined by correlating data from the newly created scale with existing measures of (1) attitudes toward lesbians and gay men, (2) social justice selfefficacy, (3) political interest, and (4) religiosity. The exploratory factor analysis indicated a 4 factor structure of lesbian and gay affirming social justice competency including: (1) Self-Efficacy, (2) Attitudes, (3) Actions, and (4) awareness, which were consistent with the a priori model. Each of these subscales was examined and trimmed in order to create a reliable scale that is concise and feasible for survey measures. The final scale contains 28 items. The LGASJC scale was correlated positively with political engagement and social issue self efficacy, and negatively with religiosity and negative attitudes towards lesbians and gay men.

Homophobia
Homophobia

Author: John P. De Cecco

Publisher: Psychology Press

Published: 1984

Total Pages: 216

ISBN-13: 9780866563567

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The largest collection of articles on homophobia published to date, this volume does much to expand the concept of homophobia as well as to discuss related research. Homophobia includes theoretical analyses of the concept of homphobia, critiques and innovations pertaining to its assessment, and its relationship to the biological sex of respondents, their self-perceived sex roles, and their etiological theories of homosexuality.

Up from Invisibility
Up from Invisibility

Author: Larry Gross

Publisher: Columbia University Press

Published: 2001-12-26

Total Pages: 321

ISBN-13: 0231529325

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A half century ago gay men and lesbians were all but invisible in the media and, in turn, popular culture. With the lesbian and gay liberation movement came a profoundly new sense of homosexual community and empowerment and the emergence of gay people onto the media's stage. And yet even as the mass media have been shifting the terms of our public conversation toward a greater acknowledgment of diversity, does the emerging "visibility" of gay men and women do justice to the complexity and variety of their experience? Or is gay identity manipulated and contrived by media that are unwilling—and perhaps unable—to fully comprehend and honor it? While positive representations of gays and lesbians are a cautious step in the right direction, media expert Larry Gross argues that the entertainment and news media betray a lingering inability to break free from proscribed limitations in order to embrace the complex reality of gay identity. While noting major advances, like the opening of the Oscar Wilde Memorial Bookstore—the first gay bookstore in the country—or the rise of The Advocate from small newsletter to influential national paper, Gross takes the measure of somewhat more ambiguous milestones, like the first lesbian kiss on television or the first gay character in a newspaper comic strip.