Impact of Homonegativity on Society

Homonegativity is defined as any prejudicial affective or behavioral response directed towards and individual because he or she is perceived to be homosexual (Cerny & Polyson, 1984). This “prejudicial affective” or “behavioral response” can be translated into the way individuals with homonegative attitudes treat other people they assume are homosexual. This implied negative treatment can be observed in everyday life settings; for example, an employment recruiter choosing one applicant over the other because the undesired candidate was thought to be homosexual, holistically unconcerned with whether or not their homosexuality was proven. Homonegative attitudes affecting perceived homosexual people is also observed in hate crime incidents, as

On the surface, this seems like a positive effect of homonegativity. However, this is an overall negative outcome, as there is an increase in hate crime and the victimization of homosexuals during rallies and events (Alden & Parker, 2006). Potentially due to areas with a high population of gay and lesbian households and assuming that human beings, when equipped with the money and opportunity, generally migrate to areas with similar demographics. This accounts for the increased hate crime victimization, as a greater population of a specific sub group may be more attractive to a perpetrator, putting the respective group at a greater risk to be victimized by a hate crime (Alden & Parker,

Before beginning my research, I was very curious about the causes of homonegativity and how they translate into certain effects. Being that I have close friends and family members who have struggled with both internalized homonegativity and societal prejudices, I thought the subject was important to bring attention to. I did not predict how significant the effects of homophobia are on homosexuals, especially living in the most progressive era in U.S. history. Thus, homonegativity is a subject that needs to be taught based on the mental and physical wellbeing of those in the LGBTQ