1. Heterosexual, Lesbian, and Gay Adults' Reactions to Same-Gender versus Other-Gender Flirtation: Findings from a German Study.
- Author
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Kranz D, Guell L, and Rosenbach S
- Subjects
- Humans, Female, Male, Germany, Adult, Young Adult, Homosexuality, Male psychology, Homophobia psychology, Sexual and Gender Minorities psychology, Adolescent, Heterosexuality psychology, Homosexuality, Female psychology
- Abstract
Using a vignette methodology, this study examined reactions to same-gender versus other-gender flirtation in a sample of 445 German young adults: 320 participants with a heterosexual orientation and 125 participants with a lesbian or gay (LG) orientation. Even in LG-friendly societies as Germany, receiving advances from someone of the same gender might still evoke heterosexuals' homonegativity. Another factor that might influence heterosexuals' reactions to same-gender flirtation is the fear of being misidentified as LG (social contagion concerns). Contrary to hypothesis, results provided little evidence to classify heterosexual participants' reactions to same-gender flirters as homonegative. Firstly, heterosexual participants showed the same degree of negative affect and avoidance behavior in the same-gender flirtation condition as LG participants did in the other-gender flirtation condition. Only positive affect scores were somewhat lower for heterosexual participants in the same-gender flirtation condition compared to LG participants in the other-gender flirtation condition. Secondly, when anti-LG attitudes and social contagion concerns were considered together, only social contagion concerns contributed to explaining variance in heterosexual participants' response to same-gender flirters. Specifically, the impact of social contagion concerns on heterosexual participants' avoidance of same-gender flirters was mediated by (lacking) positive affect, but not negative affect., (© 2024. The Author(s).)
- Published
- 2024
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