Implicit and explicit attitudes toward gay males and lesbians among heterosexual males and females

Abstract

In this article, we examined explicit and implicit attitudes toward gay males and lesbians using the Single Category IAT (SC-IAT). In Study 1, we examined attitudes toward gay people in general. Participants reported positive explicit attitudes and neutral implicit attitudes toward gay people. In Study 2, we examined implicit and explicit attitudes toward gay men and lesbians separately. Participants rated gay men and lesbians positively on explicit attitude measures. Analysis of SC-IAT scores revealed neutral associations with gay men and positive associations with lesbians. As a secondary goal, we also tested the Balanced Identity Theory in both studies and did not find evidence of balance between implicit sexual orientation attitudes, implicit sexual identity, and implicit self-esteem using the SC-IAT.