Valued differences or benevolent stereotypes? Exploring the influence of positive beliefs on anti-gay and anti-lesbian attitudes

Two studies explored the various positive beliefs heterosexuals hold towards lesbians and gay men and the implication of these beliefs for heterosexuals' attitudes towards lesbians and gay men. In Study 1, 250 participants listed all the positive and negative things they had heard people say about gay men and lesbians. As expected, many of the negative beliefs participants reported were related to gender role transgression. Surprisingly, many of these transgressions were also found among the reported positive beliefs, suggesting that participants were also favourably evaluating gender transgression in gay and lesbian people. In Study 2, the relationship between a set of gender transgression-based positive beliefs and traditional heterosexism was assessed among 592 college undergraduates. Endorsement of these beliefs was found to correlate negatively with traditional heterosexism, suggesting that those participants with more favourable attitudes towards gay men and lesbians were also more likely to see them as possessing positive qualities based on gender transgression. Interpretations based on queer theory, standpoint theory and social psychological theory and research on ambivalent attitudes were proposed.