Attitudes toward homosexuality and femininity in men.

Abstract

College students were asked to express their liking for a male stimulus person who was described as either heterosexual or homosexual and as masculine or feminine. Subjects disliked the homosexual man more than the heterosexual man, regardless of his gender attributes. Subjects did not, however, consistently dislike the feminine man more than the masculine man. The feminine heterosexual man was liked less than the masculine heterosexual man, but the feminine homosexual man was liked more than the masculine homosexual man. These results cast doubt on earlier notions that homosexual people are disliked because of their presumed inappropriate gender attributes. Instead, it appears that homosexual men are disliked even more if they violate the feminine stereotype. Reasons for this effect are proposed.