ABSTRACT

The purpose of this chapter is to review the most commonly investigated explanations for LGBT (lesbian women, gay men, bisexual men, bisexual women, trans men, and trans women) stigma (as a byproduct of the existing literature, nearly all use the stigmatizer lens and examine heterosexuals’ attitudes and few examine “Q/queer” stigma) and situate them within the theoretical model of Norm-Centered Sigma Theory (NCST) and LGBTQ stigma, described in Chapter 3. These common correlates of attitudes toward LGBT individuals are: (1) LGBT contact, (2) religiosity, (3) political perspectives, and (4) beliefs about gender. In doing so, this chapter identifies the existing landscape of research about LGBT(Q) stigma while also highlighting the importance of using NCST to examine numerous experiences and beliefs that are shaped by social power, maintain hetero-cis-normativity, and contribute to LGBTQ stigma.