Judged by the Company You Keep? Exposure to Nonprejudiced Norms Reduces Concerns About Being Misidentified as Gay/Lesbian

Abstract

Social contagion concerns, heterosexuals' fears about being misidentified as gay/lesbian, can lead to avoidant and hostile responses toward gay men/lesbians. We argue that apprehension about becoming the target of prejudice if misidentified as gay/lesbian contributes to contagion concerns. We hypothesized that exposing heterosexuals to others' nonprejudiced attitudes would reduce their contagion concerns. Consistent with these predictions, perceptions of peer prejudice statistically predicted contagion concerns, over and above personal prejudice (Study 1). In addition, participants exposed to a nonprejudiced versus a high-prejudiced norm (or control condition) expressed lower contagion concerns and less anxious/avoidant responses toward gay men/lesbians (Studies 2 and 4). Finally, exposure to fellow students' nonprejudiced views resulted in lower contagion concerns than a control group (Study 3) due to decreased concerns about becoming the target of prejudice if misidentified as gay/lesbian (Study 4). These results provide evidence that changing perceptions of others' prejudice can reduce contagion concerns.

Stay away or stay together? Social contagion, common identity, and bystanders’ interventions in homophobic bullying episodes

“…In line with these findings, recent research explored the concept of social contagion—that is, the concern over being misidentified as a sexual minority—and its consequences for responses to intergroup contact with sexual minorities (Buck, Plant, Ratcliff, Zielaskowski, & Boerner, 2013; Cascio & Plant, 2016). Studies conducted with college students revealed that social contagion concerns were related to denigration of lesbians and gay men (Plant, Zielaskowski, & Buck, 2014), and also to avoidance of contact (Buck et al, 2013).…”

Imagined contact with famous gay men and lesbians reduces heterosexuals’ misidentification concerns and sexual prejudice

“…Thus, reducing contagion concerns among heterosexuals is a critical part of decreasing the negativity that gay and lesbian individuals face. Unfortunately, to date, little research has examined mechanisms for reducing contagion concerns (but see Cascio & Plant, ). The current work addressed this gap in the literature by introducing a modification to the imagined contact paradigm—imagined contact with famous outgroup members—which reduces contagion concerns and enhances the efficacy of traditional imagined contact for improving responses toward gay men and lesbians.…”

“…One can either reduce the negative consequences of being misclassified or reduce the perception that misclassification is likely to occur. Consistent with the former approach, research indicates that contagion concerns can be reduced by increasing people's perception that their peers are low in prejudice, thereby alleviating concerns about facing prejudice and discrimination from their peers if misidentified (Cascio & Plant, ). However, this route to reducing contagion concerns would not be possible if one's peers are highly prejudiced.…”

“…Although there is a plethora of research on reducing prejudice (for a review see Paluck & Green, ), little work has explored potential routes to reducing contagion concerns (but see Cascio & Plant, ). Drawing on clinical research on the treatment of phobias using imaginal exposure (Stopa, ), we hypothesized that an effective route to reducing people's contagion concerns would be to have them experience and reflect upon an interorientation interaction during which misidentification (i.e., the feared outcome) did not occur.…”

“…When considering why LGBT individuals are harassed at such high rates, researchers have focused on sexual prejudice, which is most often conceptualized as the moral condemnation of homosexual behaviors (Herek & McLemore, ). However, heterosexuals’ concerns about being misidentified as gay or lesbian, termed contagion concerns, also lead to discomfort and the avoidance and derogation of gay and lesbian individuals (Bosson, Prewitt‐Freilino, & Taylor, ; Bosson, Taylor, & Prewitt‐Freilino, ; Buck, Plant, Ratcliff, Zielaskowski, & Boerner, ; Cascio & Plant, ; Plant, Zielaskowski, & Buck, ; Prewitt‐Freilino & Bosson, ). Therefore, if the harassment of sexual minorities is to be fully addressed, it is important for researchers to consider ways of reducing both sexual prejudice and contagion concerns among heterosexual individuals.…”