title: Sexual prejudice.
abstract: Despite shifts toward greater acceptance in U.S. public opinion and policy, lesbian, gay, and bisexual people remain widely stigmatized. This article reviews empirical research on sexual prejudice, that is, heterosexuals' internalization of cultural stigma, manifested in the form of negative attitudes toward sexual minorities and same-sex desires and behaviors. After briefly reviewing measurement issues, we discuss linkages between sexual prejudice and religion, gender, sexuality, and related variables, and consider how the cultural institutions encompassing these domains create a social context within which individual expressions of prejudice can meet important psychological needs. These include needs for securing social acceptance, affirming values that are central to one's self-concept, and avoiding anxiety and other negative emotions associated with threats to self-esteem. We conclude by discussing factors that may motivate heterosexuals to reduce their own sexual prejudice, including intergroup contact, as well as avenues for future empirical inquiry.
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, California 95616-8686, USA. AR2013@herek.net
authors.forename: Gregory M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Herek
authors.forename: Kevin A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: McLemore
mesh_terms: D001727:Bisexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D003469:Culture; D004644:Emotions; D005260:Female; D020010:Heterosexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D006716:Homosexuality / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology*; D011287:Prejudice / Q000523:psychology*; D012929:Psychological Distance; D012067:Religion; D012649:Self Concept; D013240:Stereotyping; D014481:United States