The links between gender role beliefs, conceptions of the family, attitudes toward Poland's membership in the European Union, religiosity, and Polish support for gay and lesbian rights

Abstract

ABSTRACTMuch has been written about the sources of public opinion regarding gay and lesbian civil rights and liberties in the West. In contrast, we know far less about the dynamics of sexual prejudice in other places in the world, including in Eastern Europe, where social movements on behalf of gay and lesbian rights are a more recent phenomenon. My goal in this article is to examine the etiology of Poles’ views on gay and lesbian rights. In light of the theory and empirical evidence that suggest significant links between religiosity, cultural beliefs regarding family, gender roles, and attitudes toward Poland's membership in the European Union on the one hand and support for equal treatment of gays and lesbians on the other, I seek here to explore the nature of these links. The analysis I summarize also contributes to the larger literature on attitudes toward sexual minorities by simultaneously modeling the relationships between these variables using nationally representative survey data.