Explicit and implicit attitudes toward gay and lesbian scenarios and traditional gender roles: sexual orientation, sexual stigma and perceived masculinity/femininity

The main purpose of the current doctoral dissertation was to contribute to the literature about negative attitudes toward gay and lesbian individuals, within the sexual minorities themselves.Considering how strong the traditional gender roles is related to sexual stigma and internalized sexual stigma in heterosexual and sexual minorities respectively, we wanted to deepen their interaction role on peoples’ negative attitudes toward gay and lesbian individuals, who are not conform to stereotypical gender roles.The first study of this dissertation will investigate the role of participants’ sexual orientation and perceived masculinity on negative attitudes toward two gay man scenarios. Specifically, we will compare explicit negative affect toward stereotypical feminine and masculine gay man scenarios in an Italian sample of heterosexual and gay men. This research will extend previous literature, exploring gay men’s attitudes to feminine and masculine gay scenarios, also focusing on the impact of their internalized sexual stigma. The main purpose of the second study of this doctoral thesis will be to extend the investigation on negative attitudes both in lesbian participants and toward stereotypical masculine and feminine lesbian scenarios. This research will examine the differences between Italian gay men and lesbian participants in their negative attitudes toward either gay or lesbian scenarios, described with either stereotypical masculine or feminine characteristics. The third study will focus exclusively on Italian lesbian participants. This is the first study to explore negative attitude toward gay and lesbian scenarios, by investigating lesbian participants’ internalized sexual stigma and their adherence or violation of traditional feminine role. The scenarios will be the same of the second study and represent either a gay man or a lesbian woman conforming to either masculine or feminine traditional gender roles. The last study of this doctoral dissertation will describe the effects of heterosexual and gay men’s manipulation of masculinity threat, their sexual stigma and their adherence to traditional masculinity on the implicit attitudes toward feminine and masculine gay men. First of all, the description of the several construction phases of this instrument and the two pilot studies will be illustrated. Afterwards, the description of the main study will follow.