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Sexual prejudice has been constructed as prejudice against a minority group, defined by lesbian/gay identity, rather than reactions to expressions of minority sexual identities, including sexual practice. In the 1970s psychologists influenced by liberationist thinking theorised heterosexual desire and practice as evidence of 'homophobia.' The rise of the stigmatised identity model in lesbian and gay psychology shifted theorising about heterosexuals' prejudice away from sexual practice. However, since the start of the HIV/AIDS epidemic, gay and bisexual men's sexual practices have been theorised as evidence of 'internalised homophobia.' Thus, some sex between men can now evidence psychological 'homophobia' while straight sex can not. This inequality may support current forms of heterosexism. Support for sexual orientation based equality has grown in recent decades, but permissive attitudes towards lesbian/gay sex have not. Contemporary heterosexist prejudice involves both support for equality and lingering abjection of same-sex practices. As heterosexuality remains the preferred form of sexuality to be expressed in public, prejudice researchers should consider sexual prejudice as an ideology that targets the expression of sexual identity – including sexual practice – rather than the possession of that sexual identity per se. Current psychological models of 'internalised homophobia' may support rather than critique that ideology.

This article presents national survey data to assess the extent to which AIDS-related stigma remains linked to public attitudes toward homosexuality in the United States. Most heterosexuals continue to associate AIDS primarily with homosexuality or bisexuality, and this association is correlated with higher levels of sexual prejudice (antigay attitudes). Although all people who contract AIDS sexually are assigned blame for their infection, such blame is greater for a gay or bisexual man than for a heterosexual man or woman. A sizable minority of the public equates all male-male sexual behavior with AIDS, even sex between two HIV-negative men. A substantial portion also expresses discomfort about touching an article of clothing or drinking from a sterilized glass used by a person with AIDS (PWA). These misconceptions and discomfort are correlated with sexual prejudice. It is argued that the link between AIDS attitudes and sexual prejudice impedes HIV prevention efforts and threatens civil rights.

Although research has revealed that more progressive LGB (lesbian, gay, and bisexual) rights are positively associated with more favorable attitudes toward sexual minorities, little is known about why LGB rights co-occur with positive attitudes. The present contribution fills this gap by testing whether the prevalence of intergroup contact with LGB individuals explains the relationship between more progressive LGB rights and sexual prejudice. Utilizing representative Eurobarometer data from 28 European Union Member States, we find that progressive institutional arrangements positively predict favorable attitudes toward sexual minorities by rendering intergroup contact with LGB individuals more commonplace. Importantly, this pattern of findings replicates for different measures of prejudice and LGB-related legislation. The theoretical and practical implications of the current findings are discussed.

The correlates of sexual prejudice –negative attitudes toward gay men, lesbians, and bisexuals– are well-known in the literature, but the relevance of the social-political environment in which these correlates insert has received less attention. This study examines trends and correlates of sexual prejudice in El Salvador, a country frequently ranked as one of the most homophobic in the Americas. Using a representative sample from national-level surveys conducted between 2008 and 2016, it was found that the Salvadorian population displayed high levels of sexual prejudice in this period, although these levels varied significantly over time. Analysis with 2016 data showed that socially precarious conditions, religion, and traditionally gendered worldviews, were positively associated with sexual prejudice. Sexual prejudice also correlated with political and social beliefs that encompass authoritarian and misogynistic tendencies. Three clusters of predictors of sexual prejudice were identified: Religious conventionalism, unsophisticated masculinity background, and deficient democratic socialization. This study supports previous findings about correlates of sexual prejudice while highlighting the lesser-studied role of the social-political environment, and oscillations in a democratic culture, in perpetuating sexual prejudice.

AbstractTheoretical and empirical approaches to homophobia (and other forms of sexual prejudice) have tended to remain polarised between individual and societal/cultural levels of analysis. For example, much psychological work has relied upon psychometric understandings of individual prejudice, while sociological and cultural studies approaches have focused upon the social construction of sexual identity and the overarching impact of heteropatriarchal structures. In this paper I outline a psychosocial approach in which I argue that a focus upon the ways in which cultural/structural processes are linked with embodied 'experience' provides a means to unite some of the different levels of analysis mentioned above. Thus, I consider the 'experience' of embodied emotion as one key site through which social and cultural processes have their individual effects and go on to examine the role of embodied emotions in sexual prejudice – in particular shame and disgust – such that we may begin to map some of the complex ways in which individual prejudice and societal/institutional oppression are profoundly interrelated.

AbstractThis paper addresses how theoretical approach, policy strategy and clinical practice are used to counter lesbian and gay oppression on both a 'systems' level and through therapeutic work with individuals. We locate our work in the context of a sexual health psychology service in central London, where the majority of clients are gay men. This paper highlights our stance on countering hegemonic practices and heterosexism by providing a transparent account of our thinking and action. Our approach may be broadly described as 'systemic' and 'social constructionist'. We describe how these frameworks may be applied in clinical practice using a composite example of a 'typical' case that may be referred to a clinical psychologist working in sexual health. We also discuss the ways in which we work with wider systems in order to challenge sexual prejudice.

Abstract. Although research has revealed that more progressive LGB (lesbian, gay, and bisexual) rights are positively associated with more favorable attitudes toward sexual minorities, little is known about why LGB rights co-occur with positive attitudes. The present contribution fills this gap by testing whether the prevalence of intergroup contact with LGB individuals explains the relationship between more progressive LGB rights and sexual prejudice. Utilizing representative Eurobarometer data from 28 European Union Member States, we find that progressive institutional arrangements positively predict favorable attitudes toward sexual minorities by rendering intergroup contact with LGB individuals more commonplace. Importantly, this pattern of findings replicates for different measures of prejudice and LGB-related legislation. The theoretical and practical implications of the current findings are discussed.