Tolerance of homonegativity and transnegativity predicts negative evaluations of LGBT people and LGBT-supportive policies among US-based heterosexual, cisgender participants

Abstract

Many people in the United States express anti-LGBT attitudes and oppose LGBT rights. These views are perpetuated when others, including allies, tolerate expressions of anti-LGBT bias. In this study, we adapted and validated a measure of tolerance of homonegativity and transnegativity (TOHT), and assessed its associations with evaluations of LGBT people, straight people, support for LGBT rights, and system-justifying ideologies among heterosexual, straight, binary-gendered/non-trans (i.e., cisgender) women and men who identified as liberal, moderate, or conservative (N = 295). Participants completed measures of TOHT, evaluations of LGBT people, support for LGBT rights, authoritarianism, religiosity, and contact with LGBT people. Analyses by gender and political ideology indicated that all groups tolerated anti-LGBT bias to some degree. Among conservatives, women (vs. men) endorsed TOHT more and exhibited less support for LGBT rights; the opposite was true of liberals. As expected, higher TOHT scores were associated with cooler evaluations of LGBT people and less support for LGBT rights. However, after controlling for system justifying motives, that was only significant for conservatives and moderates potentially suggesting that conservatives and liberals may endorse TOHT for different reasons. Overall, findings suggest that groups traditionally regarded as allies (e.g., women, liberals) tolerate attitudes that disadvantage LGBT people.