Judged by the Company You Keep? Exposure to Nonprejudiced Norms Reduces Concerns About Being Misidentified as Gay/Lesbian

Abstract

Social contagion concerns, heterosexuals’ fears about being misidentified as gay/lesbian, can lead to avoidant and hostile responses toward gay men/lesbians. We argue that apprehension about becoming the target of prejudice if misidentified as gay/lesbian contributes to contagion concerns. We hypothesized that exposing heterosexuals to others’ nonprejudiced attitudes would reduce their contagion concerns. Consistent with these predictions, perceptions of peer prejudice statistically predicted contagion concerns, over and above personal prejudice (Study 1). In addition, participants exposed to a nonprejudiced versus a high-prejudiced norm (or control condition) expressed lower contagion concerns and less anxious/avoidant responses toward gay men/lesbians (Studies 2 and 4). Finally, exposure to fellow students’ nonprejudiced views resulted in lower contagion concerns than a control group (Study 3) due to decreased concerns about becoming the target of prejudice if misidentified as gay/lesbian (Study 4). These results provide evidence that changing perceptions of others’ prejudice can reduce contagion concerns.