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Heterosexism in the Media

………

University of Illinois – Urbana Champagne

Abstract

Attitudes towards lesbian and gay males were examined in response to biased media representations in the context of a visual imagery experiment. The focus of this experiment was to show a possible correlation between viewing media depictions of lesbian and gay males in both negative and positive aspects and the corresponding opinions expressed thereafter. The intent of my research is to identify possible foundations or manifestations of negative stereotypes and beliefs geared towards the lesbian and gay community members. These findings could possibly be part of the ongoing effort to end prejudice and promote equality within our society.

Heterosexism in the Media

Negative stereotypes, attitudes and false beliefs towards members of the lesbian and gay male community are partially responsible for manifesting and harboring social stratification and inequality. Typecasting of a particular group of individuals based on sexual orientation contributes to disproportionate disadvantages and denies unalienable human rights. This is what is referred to as heterosexism and is defined by Margaret W. Matlin (2012) as “…a belief system that devalues lesbians, gay males and bisexuals or any group that is not exclusively heterosexual”. Understanding the source of the negative attitudes enables us to begin to narrow down the division between people and learn to not just tolerate but appreciate our differences. Past research has been done to seek out and illuminate prejudice in society but is somewhat lacking in solutions. With my research, I will attempt to identify a relationship between positive and negative images and more tolerable attitudes towards lesbian and gay males.

Without question the heterosexual community experiences more benefits in terms of financial and legal rights; lower cost insurance, hospital or critical care decisions, visitation, having children and adoption issues. Simoni and Walters (2001) explained “Heterosexual individuals in this society possess a privileged status”, and further stated some of the privileged afforded to heterosexuals included “…marriage, tax and insurance benefits, etc.” (Simoni & Walters, 2001). Those individuals that exhibit more openness with their sexuality experienced more discrimination and in turn also suffered with greater instances of depression and anxiety levels (Swim, Johnston, & Pearson, 2009). It is my deduction from this research that finding resolutions to negative assumptions and beliefs regarding lesbian and gay males will lead to equality.

The correct presumption of a direct relationship between attitudes and more acceptable mindsets could be the groundwork for a better society in general. There is mounting evidence that without resolutions to issues of intolerance and prejudice, our society will increase in violence and negative ramifications. The media does not normally portray lesbian and gay males in a positive light or report on community involvement. Instead most images that are seen by the public are those of crude and negative displays that influence attitudes adversely. My research study looks at how both positive and negative images effect the opinions and attitudes of the participants in order to ascertain the relationship between them and the influence that media has. This direction of testing was derived from Kite and Deaux (1986) study “Homosexuality Attitude Scale and Factor Loadings”. The study rated participant’s attitudes toward homosexuals by presenting questions, “…to determine what seemed to be the most common stereotypes, misconceptions, and anxieties about homosexuals” (Kite & Deaux, 1986). This study used a five point Likert-type scale ranging from strong agreement (1), neither agreement nor disagreement (3) strong disagreement (5). Another such survey was done by G.M. Herek (1988). In his article, “Heterosexuals Attitudes toward Lesbian and Gay Men: Correlates and Gender Differences” he examines gender differences in attitudes between male and female heterosexuals towards lesbian and gay men using twenty statements for participants to consider. In my research experiment I will be utilizing a similar but short form test and scale which will include numbers 1,5,6,7,11,12,14,15, and 18 from the original twenty item survey (See Appendix A). This will allow me to focus on the direction of results and help identify future research.

My study intends to examine the relationship between positive and negative images and attitudes towards lesbian and gay males. I intend to identify the differences in opinions by presenting Group One with positive images of lesbian and gay males and Group Two with negative images of lesbian and gay males. Participants are both graduate and undergraduate (n=510) students attending University of Illinois – Urbana Champagne. Groups were selected by random sampling from graduate student attend classes in college of human sciences and humanities department. It is my hypothesis that participants who view the positive images will score lower on the “Attitudes towards Lesbian and Gay Men scale” (ATLG) (Herek, 1988) than participants who view negative images.

Method

Participants

Participants in study include 51 men and women enrolled as graduate students at University of Illinois – Urbana Champagne, Illinois. Demographic questionnaire was administered but responses were voluntary and not required for study. Participants were involved in UFI’s Qualtrics website (www.) and were randomly and equally assigned between tests. Number of participants in Group One viewed positive images were 26, while number participants in Group Two viewed negative images were 25.

Procedure

Participants were randomly assigned to view a short PowerPoint presentation on a computer monitor of either positive or negative images of lesbians and gay male representative of those found in mainstream media. No directives, other than to click through the PowerPoint, were given nor was an explanation of the study discussed with the participants prior to viewing images in order to alleviate any priming. Directly following the viewing of the PowerPoint presentations, the participants were then asked to complete a short version of a survey (ATLG) created by G. M. Herek (1988) entitled “Attitudes towards Lesbians and Gay Males”. Questions were on a Likert scale and asked participants to what level they agreed or disagreed with the statements. Upon conclusion of the survey participants voluntarily completed a demographic questionnaire then were released and were not debriefed regarding the study.

Apparatus (Survey)

Participants were asked to answer questions found on the ATLG (Herek, 1988). Questions numbered from one through nine with multiple-choice answers on a Likert scale as follows: (1) strongly disagree (2) disagree somewhat (3) neither agree nor disagree (4) agree somewhat (5) strongly agree. (Likert, 1932). The participants were instructed to answer questions based on how strongly they agreed or disagreed with the numbered statements. Some examples of survey questions included: “Male homosexuality is a perversion”; “Homosexual behavior between two men is just plain wrong”; “Female homosexuality is a sin” (Herek, 1988). Based on the Likert point scale (Likert, 1932), results were tallied and demographic information was organized (See Appendix A). I had analyzed the results by using Mann-Whitney U test online calculator (http://www.socscistatistics.com/tests/mannwhitney/Default.aspx) on Group One that viewing positive images and Group Two that viewing negative images. In my research experiment Participants will answer a similar but short form test and scale which will include numbers 1,5,6,7,11,12,14,15, and 18 from the original twenty item survey (See Appendix A). This will allow me to focus on the direction of results and help identify future research.

Results

The initial hypothesis was designed by the idea that images in the mainstream media had an effect on the opinions towards lesbian and gay males. With this in mind, testing was done on participants (n=51) who were involved in UFI’s Qualtrics website (https:www /) and were randomly and equally assigned between tests. Participants in Group One viewed positive images were 26, while participants in Group Two viewed negative images were 25. Students received class credit for their participation. Participants in Group One viewed positive images, while participants in Group Two viewed negative images before completing a written survey. Results from the survey were measured using a five point Likert-scale ranging from strong disagreement to strong agreement (1) strongly disagree, (3) neither agree nor disagree (5) strongly agree. The survey used for this experiment was derived from a similar one conducted by (Herek, 1988), “Heterosexuals Attitudes toward Lesbian and Gay Men: Correlates and Gender Differences” which examined gender differences in attitudes between male and female heterosexuals towards lesbian and gay men using twenty statements for participants to consider. In my research experiment I utilized a short form test and scale which included numbers 1,5,6,7,11,12,14,15, and 18 from the original twenty item survey (See Appendix A). The survey was worded negatively in 6 out of the 9 questions and positively in 3 (1R,8R,9R). Those three items were reversed scored on my survey to follow the directions from Herek’s completion of the survey. Low scores indicated positive attitudes towards lesbian and gay males, while high scores indicated negative attitudes towards lesbian and gay males. Participants were not debriefed after completing the experiment (See Figure 1). Subsequent analysis of the results using Mann-Whitney U test online calculator (http://www.socscistatistics.com/tests/mannwhitney/Default.aspx) to find out if the Two groups were different in their attitudes towards lesbian and gay males after viewing positive or negative images about Homosexuality adapted from the public media. In this study, Mann-Whitney U test revealed that there is a significant statistical difference at the 0.05 level between the two groups in their attitudes towards lesbian and gay males. Where the value of Z is (-3.84381) while, p value is (0.00012). After all results were compared it is my supposition that in this particular experiment the results lacked conclusive evidence that the images shown to both Group One and Group Two had a substantial effect on opinions or stereotypes as it concerns the survey. I have deduced from the calculated results that concessions would have to be made for pre-testing and two or more manipulations in order to measure opinions prior to image presentation. Possible limitations and variables in this experiment existed and could be limited by pre-screening participants for pre-existing prejudices, political affiliations and religious preferences. Concerns for the age mean, population size and level of education should also be addressed in future research. It is our opinion that despite these results further research should be done in this area. Some recommendations for possible research would include but not be limited to; UI student and faculty focus groups, online opinion polls, and an anonymous LGBTQ friendly hotline.

(Figure 1)

References

Herek, G.M. (1988). Heterosexuals’ attitudes toward lesbians and gay men: Correlates and gender differences. Journal of Sex Research, 25(4), 451-477.

Kite, M. E., & Deaux, K. (1986). Attitudes toward homosexuality: Assessment and behavioral consequences. Basic and Applied Social Psychology, 7(2), 137-162.

Likert, R. (1932). A Technique for the Measurement of Attitudes. Archives of Psychology, 140, 1-55. Retrieved November 12, 2016.

Matlin, M. W. (2010). Psychology of Women (7th ed.). Belmont, CA:

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