Prejudice against gender and sexual diversity among soldiers of the Brazilian army

Abstract

ABSTRACT Prejudice against Gender and Sexual Diversity (GenSex prejudice) is a significant issue of scientific study. Negative attitudes towards lesbians, gays, bisexuals, transgender and gender nonconforming people are prevalent in many countries. Gender, age, education, income, religion, and military enrolment are associated with higher prejudice levels. The present study measured GenSex prejudice in an all-male military sample of Brazilian soldiers. Participants were 354 recruits of the Brazilian Army between the ages of 18 and 20. Measures included a 5-point Likert scale to assess GenSex prejudice. Data was analyzed using descriptives and ANOVA with post-hoc Bonferroni comparisons. Being religious, having lower income, and being less educated were significantly associated with higher levels of prejudice. Soldiers with elementary education were more prejudiced than those with higher levels of education. Soldiers with a monthly family income of less than USD 530,36 had more GenSex prejudice than those with higher earnings. Also, religious soldiers had more prejudice than the nonreligious ones. Protestant soldiers had significantly more GenSex prejudice than all other religious groups measured. No significant differences were found between ethnic or racial groups. Results are discussed with the literature on human rights, educational practices, racial discrimination, religiosity and prejudice.