SOCIAL ATTITUDES TOWARD LGBT+ IN KAZAKHSTAN

Abstract

The article is devoted to the study of social attitudes towards LGBT+ people, as well as to the identification of factors that contribute to a positive or negative attitude on the part of Kazakhstani society. Nowadays, many countries of the world are observing a gradual change in the attitude of society towards LGBT+ people and extensive research is carried out globally on the attitude of society towards homosexuality and transgender. However, in the countries of Central Asia, due to the high level of homophobia, the attitude of society towards the LGBT+ community is still negative, if not hostile. The purpose of this study is to analyze the factors, which influence the formation of the image and attitudes towards LGBT+ among Kazakhstanis, as well as to establish the reasons that contribute to the positive acceptance of LGBT+. To fully understand the topic and achieve our goals, we conducted a quantitative study where participants completed an online questionnaire. According to the results of the research, we discovered that the phenomenon of LGBT+ in Kazakhstani society is still socially unacceptable, despite the rather high percentage of benevolent and positive attitudes, which confirm the previously stated conclusions of researchers and experts. In addition, the analysis showed a low percentage of awareness of organizations and initiatives protecting the rights of LGBT+, which raises the question of increasing the audience coverage to be acquainted with such organizations and present the results of activities in the socio-political space. Nevertheless, a statistically significant relationship was found between the presence of relatives, friends, acquaintances who are representatives of LGBT +, and the status of attitude towards them. This is due to the fact that direct interaction with LGBT+ representatives affect the reduction of prejudices and stereotypes. Obtained data expand our understanding of the relationship between society's attitudes and gender identity and sexual orientation in Kazakhstani reality, explaining the factors that contribute to the formation of benevolent or negative attitudes. However, the limited number of collected data cannot possibly reflect a full picture of the attitudes toward LGBT+ in Kazakhstan, and representative sampling is required in future studies. Key words: attitudes, LGBTQ+, identity, values, violence.