title: Who has the worst attitudes toward sexual minorities? Comparison of transphobia and homophobia levels in gender dysphoric individuals, the general population and health care providers.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To date, few studies have addressed attitudes toward transgender individuals. In addition, little is known about health care providers' (HCP) attitudes toward sexual minorities. The aim of the present study is to compare attitudes toward homosexual and transgender individuals between gender dysphoric individuals (GDs), general population controls (C) and HCP.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 310 subjects were considered, including 122 GDs (63 transwomen and 59 transmen), 53 heterosexual HCP (26 males and 27 females) and 135 C. Participants completed the Modern Homophobia Scale (MHS) and the Attitudes Toward Transgendered Individuals Scale (ATTI) in order to assess attitudes toward gay men and lesbian women and toward transgender individuals, respectively. In addition, GDs completed the Gender Identity/Gender Dysphoria Questionnaire (GIDYQ-AA) and ATTI to measure, respectively, gender dysphoria levels and internalized transphobia. Religious attitudes were evaluated by means of the Religious Fundamentalism Scale (RFS), and Discrimination and Stigma Scale (DISC-12) was used to measure perceived discrimination.
  
  
  RESULTS
  (1) Men showed significantly higher levels of homophobia and transphobia when compared to women (p < 0.001); (2) perceived discrimination was higher in lesbian women compared to gay men and in transwomen compared to transmen (p < 0.001 and p < 0.05, respectively); and (3) religious fundamentalism was associated with both homophobia and transphobia (both p < 0.001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results underline the need to promote awareness and acceptance of the sexual minorities, who are more at risk of discriminatory attitudes, which are strongly dependent on religious precepts and dogma.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental, Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Sexual Medicine and Andrology Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: A D
authors.initials: AD
authors.lastname: Fisher
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental, Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Sexual Medicine and Andrology Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.|Psychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Castellini
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental, Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Sexual Medicine and Andrology Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Ristori
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental, Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Sexual Medicine and Andrology Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Casale
authors.affiliation: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Giovanardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Developmental and Social Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Carone
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental, Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Sexual Medicine and Andrology Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Fanni
authors.affiliation: Gender Identity Development Service, Hospital S. Camillo-Forlanini, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mosconi
authors.affiliation: Department of Biotechnological and Applied Clinical Sciences, University of L'Aquila, L'Aquila, Italy.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ciocca
authors.affiliation: Chair of Endocrinology and Medical Sexology, Department of Systems Medicine, University of Rome Tor Vergata, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: E A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Jannini
authors.affiliation: Psychiatry Unit, Department of Neuroscience, Psychology, Drug Research and Child Health, University of Florence, Florence, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ricca
authors.affiliation: Department of Dynamic and Clinical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and Psychology, Sapienza University of Rome, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Lingiardi
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental, Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Sexual Medicine and Andrology Unit, University of Florence, Florence, Italy. m.maggi@dfc.unifi.it.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maggi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D005783:Gender Identity; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D063509:Homophobia / Q000523:psychology*; D018452:Homosexuality, Female / Q000523:psychology*; D018451:Homosexuality, Male / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D000072339:Sexual and Gender Minorities / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D063106:Transgender Persons / Q000523:psychology*
keywords: Gender dysphoria; Homophobia; Transphobia