Making Sense of Homonegativity: Heterosexual Men and Women's Understanding of Their Own Prejudice and Discrimination toward Gay Men

Abstract

Homonegativity is a social force that deleteriously affects the lives and well-being of gay men and lesbian women. To date, however, research has shed little light on the reasons and justifications heterosexuals may give for engaging in homonegativity. Drawing on a series of one-to-one interviews with heterosexual men and women, insight is provided into the experiences these individuals have had with gay men, the rationale they provide for their homonegative attitudes and behaviours, and how they make sense of their homonegativity. Results from an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of the data indicated that participants' homonegativity was characterized by feelings of discomfort when confronted with homosexuality and perceptions that gay men are effeminate. Participants also drew upon their religious beliefs, internal affective reactions, and beliefs that homosexuality is unnatural and a choice in order to make sense of their homonegativity. The suitability of various theoretical frameworks for explaining participants' homonegativity is discussed.

Keywords:

• discrimination
• gay
• homosexuality
• Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
• lesbian
• prejudice
• qualitative