Heterosexuals' Attitudes toward Lesbianism and Male Homosexuality: Their Affective Orientation toward Sexuality and Sex Guilt

Abstract

This study sought to determine if there was a relationship between heterosexuals' attitudes toward lesbianism and male homosexuality and their affective orientation toward sexuality (erotophiliaerotophobia) and sex guilt. Subjects were 72 male and 57 female heterosexual college undergraduates. A self-report questionnaire was administered in a health education class and mailed to campus dormitories. The variables were measured by four scales: Attitudes Toward Lesbianism, Attitudes Toward Male Homosexuality, Sex Guilt Subscales, and modified Sexual Opinion Survery (erotophiliaerotophobia). Through a sample selection process involving randomization, the sample was made proportional to the university's undergraduate students by sex, class standing, and school.

Affective orientation toward sexuality was established to be related to attitudes toward lesbianism for both sexes, and related to attitudes toward male homosexuality for female subjects only (all p<.05). Sex guilt was related to both sexes' attitudes toward lesbianism and male homosexuality (p<.05). Erotophilic (more positive sex attitudes) and lower sex-guilt males and females had more positive attitudes toward lesbianism than the erotophobic (more negative sex attitudes) and higher sex-guilt subjects of their own sex. Lower sex-guilt males and females were found to have more positive attitudes toward male homosexuality. And, erotophilic females had more positive attitudes toward male homosexuality than the erotophobic females, with the relationship for males being similar although not significant.