Acceptance of gay and lesbian people among Polish teachers: the roles of intergroup contact and belief in LGBT conspiracy ideology

ABSTRACT

The present research focused on predictors of acceptance of gay and lesbian people among Polish teachers. The relationship between acceptance and intergroup contact was examined through the lens of intergroup contact theory. The secondary goal of this article was to investigate the relationship between gay and lesbian acceptance and endorsement of LGBT-related conspiracy theories. The results (N = 1,638) indicated that intergroup contact and belief in an LGBT conspiracy were the strongest predictors of gay and lesbian acceptance. Moreover, belief in an LGBT conspiracy mediated the relationship between the frequency of church attendance and acceptance of gay and lesbian people. These findings are consistent with the framework of intergroup contact theory.

KEYWORDS:

• Sexual minority
• LGBT
• heterosexism
• conspiracy thinking
• intergroup contact

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).