Three predominant justifications for participants’ judgements regarding exclusion and teasing for both lesbian and gay targets were: Fairness, Human equality, Personal choice


Pepperdine University

On average, student judged excluding to be close to neither right nor wrong and teasing to be somewhat wrong. (M=2.44, SD=1.0 ; M=1.83; SD=.96)
There were no significant differences between the stories with gay male or lesbian targets
Girls were more likely to judge exclusion as wrong than boys, and more likely to judge teasing as wrong as males. 
Overall results could be further broken down into:

1. Justification
2. Evaluative Judgement
3. Beliefs

Overall Means 

Horn, S. S., Szalacha, L. A., & Drill, K. (2008). Schooling, sexuality, and rights: An investigation of heterosexual students' social cognition regarding sexual orientation and the rights of gay and lesbian peers in school. Journal of Social Issues, 64(4), 791–813. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.2008.00589.x

Schooling, Sexuality, and Rights: An Investigation of Heterosexual Students’ Social Cognition Regarding Sexual Orientation and the Rights of Gay and Lesbian Peers in School

Justification (Overall Means)

On average, students reported that being gay/lesbian was neither right of wrong.
20% responded completely wrong
33% neither right or wrong
25% completely right 
Differences in attitudes were further found among following differences:

1. Grade
2. Gender
3. Race/Ethnicity
4. Religion


Evaluation Judgement (Overall Means)

Beliefs about the acceptability of homosexuality differed by:

1. Gender
2. Race
3. Grade
4. Religion

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