To date, there is a dearth of research examining the relationship between cognitive and affective aspects of prejudice and their ability to predict overt and covert homonegative behaviours. Research in this area is important as many gay men and lesbian women are the target of homonegative acts, and it is these behaviours that are important to understand. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis was to examine: 1) if modern homonegativity related to explicit affective measures; 2) if modern homonegativity related to implicit affective measures; 3) whether modern homonegativity related to implicit cognitive measures; 4) which measure was the best predictor of covert behaviour; and 5) which measure was the best predictor of overt behaviour. The four measures used as potential predictors were: 1) the Modern Homonegativity Scale (MHS), an explicit, cognitive measure; 2) the Implicit Association Test (IAT), an implicit, cognitive measure; 3) a feeling thermometer, an explicit, affective measure; and 4) facial electromyographic reactions, an implicit affective measure. This study consisted of three phases: in Phase I, 171 male undergraduates completed an online survey consisting of explicit measures of homonegativity. Fifty-five participants were recalled to participate in Phases II and III, which consisted of a behavioural component and the facial EMG and IAT components. Results indicated that modern homonegativity was associated with implicit cognitive measures as well as explicit measures of affect. However, modern homonegativity was not associated with implicit measures of affect. Additionally, positive affect in the form of cheek activity and negative affect toward images of couples kissing in the form of brow activity, measured through facial EMG, were associated with covert behaviour, with cheek activity being the better predictor. Brow activity toward images of gay couples kissing, indicative of negative affect, was the only measure associated with overt behaviour. Limitations and potential future directions for conducting research using implicit measures of homonegativity are discussed.

To date, there is a dearth of research examining the relationship between cognitive and affective aspects of prejudice and their ability to predict overt and covert homonegative behaviours. Research in this area is important as many gay men and lesbian women are the target of homonegative acts, and it is these behaviours that are important to understand. Therefore, the purpose of this thesis was to examine: 1) if modern homonegativity related to explicit affective measures; 2) if modern homonegativity related to implicit affective measures; 3) whether modern homonegativity related to implicit cognitive measures; 4) which measure was the best predictor of covert behaviour; and 5) which measure was the best predictor of overt behaviour. The four measures used as potential predictors were: 1) the Modern Homonegativity Scale (MHS), an explicit, cognitive measure; 2) the Implicit Association Test (IAT), an implicit, cognitive measure; 3) a feeling thermometer, an explicit, affective measure; and 4) facial electromyographic reactions, an implicit affective measure. This study consisted of three phases: in Phase I, 171 male undergraduates completed an online survey consisting of explicit measures of homonegativity. Fifty-five participants were recalled to participate in Phases II and III, which consisted of a behavioural component and the facial EMG and IAT components. Results indicated that modern homonegativity was associated with implicit cognitive measures as well as explicit measures of affect. However, modern homonegativity was not associated with implicit measures of affect. Additionally, positive affect in the form of cheek activity and negative affect toward images of couples kissing in the form of brow activity, measured through facial EMG, were associated with covert behaviour, with cheek activity being the better predictor. Brow activity toward images of gay couples kissing, indicative of negative affect, was the only measure associated with overt behaviour. Limitations and potential future directions for conducting research using implicit measures of homonegativity are discussed.

MGS / Institute for Gender and Youth Studies / ‘Gonyalelwa lapa’ is a form of a marriage whereby a family marries a woman to a deceased son who passed on without having biological children, for the purpose of restoring or reviving the deceased’s name. The woman is married with her existing children, or to bear children who will take the surname of the deceased man. Women find it difficult to leave such marriages for the fear of losing their children whom they signed off by accepting to be married under this type of marriage. This study employs the feminist standpoint methodological approach in order to explore experiences of women who are married for ‘lapa’. The study purposefully selected a sample of 8 women who are married under ‘Gonyalelwa lapa’ as well as 4 key informants. Findings demonstrate that women marry for ‘lapa’ mainly for economic reasons, to escape stigmatization, for the acquisition of the marital surname, which is tied to being acknowledged, respected and recognized by the community. Nevertheless, these women face multidimensional challenges within their in-laws’ households: they receive no support from the inlaws; their girl-children suffer discrimination based on ‘sex-preference’, boys are given more value on the basis that a boy will be able to perpetuate a deceased man’s name. Most women married under this type of marriage suffer from emotional and economic abuse at the hands of their in-laws. The study reveals that these challenges are attributed to lack of physical presence of the husband in the family. The study recommends that a large scale study be conducted on this or related topic, to build knowledge and create an awareness of such a marriage as to facilitate its inclusion in Customary Marriage Act.

Spiritual Well-Being of Black LGBT Individuals When Faced With Religious Homonegativity by Patricia A. Hill MA, Loyola University-Chicago, 2004 BS, Chicago State University, 2000 Dissertation Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Psychology Walden University May 2015 Abstract Black lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgendered (LGBT) individuals in the United States often face homophobic sermons and messages within their traditional religious settings. This phenomelogical research study was designed to document and understand the lived experiences of Black LGBT individuals' spiritual well-being in the face of homonegativity, and to identify the ways in which they cope with these experiences. The qualitative interview data from 9 participants were interpreted through the lens of feminist theory and Pargament's theory of the psychology of religion and coping. Recurring themes were coded from the participants' interviews using the QSR Nvivo 10 software program. Interview themes included change in faith community, experiencing familial acceptance or discord/rejection due to sexual orientation, feelings of abandonment by God/religion, negative experiences in a religious setting due to sexual orientation, emotional reactions, maladaptive coping, adaptive coping, and religious and/or spiritual reconciliation. The results of this study provide insight into the challenges that Black LGBT individual experience with religious homonegativity and they ways in which they cope with these stresses and challenges. This study promotes positive social change by providing a better understanding of the impact of Christian religion on the mental and spiritual well-being of the Black LGBT individual. These findings can be used to inform therapists and psychologists who are seeking treatment strategies for their Black LGBT clients. The findings suggest there is an educational component that also could benefit family, friends, and religious leaders who want to be present and accepting of the Black LGBT community.

No description available.

To date, little research has explored the utility of inter-personal confrontation as a strategy for the reduction of homonegative attitudes and/or behaviours among heterosexual women. Consequently, the purpose of the current study was to explore three unique aspects of such confrontations among a sample of heterosexual women from the University of Saskatchewan. These three aspects were: 1) to what extent do high- and low-prejudiced womens reactions to confrontations of subtle homonegative behaviour differ; 2) what differences exist in the way that heterosexual women respond to bias directed towards gay men than to bias directed towards lesbian women; 3) what effect does the vested interest of a confronter have on heterosexual womens reaction to confrontations of homonegative behaviour. A 2(target condition) X 2(modern homonegativity endorsement) X 4(confronter type) between-subjects design was used wherein 286 female volunteers completed a questionnaire booklet developed for the project. The questionnaire booklet asked participants to first imagine themselves in a scenario where they would be confronted for engaging in subtle homonegative behaviour and to then indicated how they would think, feel, and behave in response to such a confrontation. The results indicated that low-prejudice participants reacted with greater negative-self directed affect (e.g., guilt) and compunction (e.g., apologize for behaviour) than high-prejudice participants when confronted by either a gay man or lesbian woman. Such reactions are important as they mark the initiation of a self-regulatory cycle that allows the individual to avoid such biased behaviour in the future. Limitations of the study and directions for future research concerning inter-personal confrontations of homonegativity are also presented.

To date, little research has explored the utility of inter-personal confrontation as a strategy for the reduction of homonegative attitudes and/or behaviours among heterosexual women. Consequently, the purpose of the current study was to explore three unique aspects of such confrontations among a sample of heterosexual women from the University of Saskatchewan. These three aspects were: 1) to what extent do high- and low-prejudiced womens reactions to confrontations of subtle homonegative behaviour differ; 2) what differences exist in the way that heterosexual women respond to bias directed towards gay men than to bias directed towards lesbian women; 3) what effect does the vested interest of a confronter have on heterosexual womens reaction to confrontations of homonegative behaviour. A 2(target condition) X 2(modern homonegativity endorsement) X 4(confronter type) between-subjects design was used wherein 286 female volunteers completed a questionnaire booklet developed for the project. The questionnaire booklet asked participants to first imagine themselves in a scenario where they would be confronted for engaging in subtle homonegative behaviour and to then indicated how they would think, feel, and behave in response to such a confrontation. The results indicated that low-prejudice participants reacted with greater negative-self directed affect (e.g., guilt) and compunction (e.g., apologize for behaviour) than high-prejudice participants when confronted by either a gay man or lesbian woman. Such reactions are important as they mark the initiation of a self-regulatory cycle that allows the individual to avoid such biased behaviour in the future. Limitations of the study and directions for future research concerning inter-personal confrontations of homonegativity are also presented.

The present study was designed to obtain a sexual self-discrepancy score and to examine if it correlates with other variables that are linked with self-discrepancy theory, such as anxiety, depression, self-acceptance, and other-acceptance (homonegativity). We developed a measure based on self-discrepancy theory that theoretically assessed a participant's level of discrepancy between sexual beliefs and practices. The questions on sexual beliefs were based on the "ideal/ought" dimensions of self-discrepancy theory, and the questions on sexual practices were based on the "actual" self. There were less than 10 participants of the 294 respondents who reported sizeable discrepancies between their sexual attitudes and actual behaviors. This was problematic in light of the original research hypothesis, so a decision was made to treat the present study as exploratory in nature and examine potential correlations between beliefs, behaviors, and the study variables, as well as examine potential gender differences in beliefs and behaviors. Using the available data, I elected to regress the study variables on the two constructs that were pivotal to this study: sexual beliefs and sexual behaviors. Taken together, the study variables significantly predicted sexual beliefs. The individual variables that contributed significantly to the prediction of sexual beliefs were (in order of magnitude): religiosity, attitudes toward gays and lesbians, and self-esteem. Higher levels of religiosity, prejudice toward gays and lesbians, and low self-esteem were associated with limited acceptance of sexual activity. Age, self-acceptance, and symptoms of maladjustment were not associated significantly with sexual attitudes.

The purpose of the study was to develop an understanding of how perceptions of same-sex relationships affect counselors'-in-training (CITs) identification of intimate partner violence. The researcher examined whether the sexual orientation of a client has an impact on CITs identification of violence, identification of victimization and perpetration and how homonegative attitudes shape perceptions of same-sex relationship violence. Data was collected via information questionnaires regarding demographic and professional background, experimental vignettes modified from Blasko, Winek, and Bieschke']s (2007) study, and the 10-item version of the Modern Homonegativity Scale (Morrison and Morrison, 2002; Morrison, Kenny, and Harrington, 2005). The sample included 203 master and doctoral students from CACREP-accredited counseling programs in the southern region of the United States. The results indicated that most respondents were able to appropriately identify intimate partner violence. The levels of agreement regarding types of violence varied between vignette types. An ANOVA revealed significant differences between relationship type and identification of mutual violence, victim, and perpetrator. Respondents attributed more responsibility for the violence to female victims when the perpetrator was also female. Findings suggest that gender of the initiator (perpetrator) and non-initiator (victim) of violence may impact identification of violence more than sexual orientation. The results also suggest that respondents' homonegative attitudes impact perceptions of violence in same-sex relationships, particularly female partnerships. More research is needed on counselor response to relationship violence and sexual orientation. Exploring how beliefs in heteronormative gender-roles and homonegative attitudes impact perceptions of same-sex intimate partner violence among CITs is crucial for competent and ethical practitioners. / Ph. D.

To date, little research has documented the prevalence of anti-gay behaviours on Canadian university campuses or directly explored heterosexual mens and womens self-reported reasons for holding negative attitudes toward gay men and engaging in anti-gay behaviours. Consequently, the purpose of the current study was to: (1) assess the prevalence of anti-gay attitudes and behaviours on a Canadian university campus using the Attitudes Toward Gay Men Scale (ATG) and the Self-Report Behaviour Scale Revised (SBS-R); (2) describe heterosexual mens and womens lived experiences as perpetrators of homonegativity; and (3) explore how heterosexuals find meaning in their homonegativity within personal and social contexts. A mixed-methods approach was used wherein a quantitative questionnaire was administered to 286 university students in the first phase of the study. The majority of the participants scored below the midpoint of the ATG and they most often reported engaging in subtle behaviours directed toward gay men. In the second, qualitative phase of the study, open-ended interviews were conducted with eight individuals (four men and four women) who held negative attitudes toward gay men and had engaged in anti-gay behaviours. The interviews were analyzed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The participants lived experiences of homonegativity were primarily characterized by their feelings of discomfort upon observing gay men display affection and their perceptions that gay men are feminine. For the most part, participants used their religious beliefs, negative affective reactions toward homosexuality, and their beliefs that homosexuality is wrong and unnatural to understand their homonegativity. Further, the participants indicated that they had only engaged in subtle anti-gay behaviours, such as joke-telling, social distancing, or avoidance. Many of the participants were concerned about being perceived as prejudiced and, consequently, monitored the behaviours they directed toward gay men. Limitations of the study and directions for future research concerning anti-gay behaviours are also presented.