Americans’ Gender Attitudes at the Intersection of Sexual Orientation and Gender

ABSTRACT

Extensive research on differences in women’s and men’s gender attitudes and more recent work on sexual orientation differences in these and other social attitudes have overlooked the potential intersection between gender and sexual orientation in predicting Americans’ gender attitudes. I use data from the 2012 American National Election Survey 2012 to investigate differences in views on gender roles, gender discrimination and inequality, and abortion among lesbian and bisexual women, gay and bisexual men, heterosexual women, and heterosexual men. The results suggest that heterosexual men hold the most conservative views on gender, while lesbian and bisexual women are most conscious of gender discrimination and inequality. These differences are partially explained by LGB Americans’ liberal political ideology and heightened awareness of homophobic discrimination—two mechanisms that are also gendered. I conclude by arguing that the intersection between sexual orientation and gender produces unique lived experiences that, in turn, produce gendered sexual orientation gaps in worldviews.

KEYWORDS:

• Attitudes
• discrimination
• gender
• heteronormativity
• intersectionality
• lesbian feminism
• political ideology
• sexism
• sexual orientation

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Drs. Bedelia Richards, Patricia Herrera, and Krystale Littlejohn, as well as the Journal of Homosexuality editor and anonymous reviewers, for their helpful feedback on this article.

Notes

1. Data are systematically missing in a few ways. Internet respondents are significantly more likely to be missing on sexual orientation, household income, and political ideology. Lesbian and bisexual women respondents are significantly less likely to be missing on income and education than the other three gender-sexual orientation subgroups (i.e., gay and bisexual men, heterosexual women, and heterosexual men). Lower-income respondents are significantly more likely to be missing on sexual orientation than higher-income respondents. Respondents with lower levels of education are significantly more likely to be missing on sexual orientation and political ideology. Respondents with higher levels of religious attendance are significantly more likely to be missing on education. Finally, younger respondents are more likely to be missing on political ideology, while older respondents are more likely missing on sexual orientation.