Sexual Prejudice in the Portuguese Political Context

Maria Ferros,Henrique Pereira

doi:10.3390/socsci10020056

Abstract

Sexual prejudice is a negative attitude toward an individual due to their belonging to a group defined by sexual minority behaviors, attractions, or orientations. As no studies assessing sexual prejudice levels among self-identified politicians have been conducted in Portugal, this study was carried out to address this gap in the literature. In addition, we sought to compare differences in levels of sexual prejudice by gender, religiosity, and political orientation. The sample consisted of 302 self-identified active politicians in Portugal, of whom 157 were men (52%) and 145 were women (48%), with an average age of 45.98 years. Study measurement instruments included a sociodemographic questionnaire and the Sexual Prejudice Scale in the Portuguese Political Context. Participants responded to this study’s outreach online, and they received emails that referred them directly to the online survey. The principal results show that, despite moderate overall levels of sexual prejudice among the sample, men and participants with right-wing general, social, and fiscal political views demonstrated significantly higher sexual prejudice scores. Negative levels of political engagement and negative attitudes toward lesbians and gay men were significant predictors of sexual prejudice. It is very important to raise awareness of this phenomenon among both politicians and the general public, so that it can be addressed accordingly.

Highlights

Despite low overall levels of sexual prejudice in the sample, men displayed higher sexual prejudice scores, a finding corroborated by previous studies (Herek 2002, 2009; Kite and Whitley 1996; LaMar and Kite 1998)
Since the vast majority of participants self-identified as heterosexual, this may have had a negative impact on their attitudes toward lesbian and gay (LG) people (Adams et al 2016; Costa et al 2014; Costa et al 2018; Keiller 2010)
These results suggest that differences in sexual prejudice based on gender are rooted in beliefs regarding gender roles (Bosson et al 2012; Brown and Henriquez 2008; Costa and Davies 2012)

Summary

Introduction

Publisher’s Note: MDPI stays neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations. Sexual minorities frequently experience violence, discrimination, and personal rejection (Herek 2000b), since minority genders and sexual orientations have often been associated with controversy, stigma, and confusion (Huffaker and Kwon 2016). In order to facilitate research about anti-lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) attitudes, Herek and McLemore (2013) proposed the construct of sexual prejudice, which can be understood as a negative attitude toward an individual due to their belonging to a group defined by minority sexual behaviors, attractions, or orientations. Sexual prejudice is a prevalent phenomenon in our society and research into this topic has been of interest to social scientists since the 1970s (Herek 2000b). It is a broad concept that includes homophobia, homonegativity, heterosexism, and, more recently, transphobia and biphobia (Baiocco et al 2018)

Methods

Results

Conclusion