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Does exposure to continuous and fluid theories of sexual orientation influence heterosexuals’ evaluations toward bisexual or gay/lesbian people?

Publication announcement for a study of sexual-orientation theories and social attitudes

Our paper examining how theories of sexual orientation shape attitudes toward lesbian, gay and bisexual people is now published online in Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity.

Across two experiments—one with university students and one with a nationally representative community sample—we tested continuous versus discrete and fluid versus fixed accounts of sexual orientation. Because attitudes are not homogeneous, evaluations of gay men, lesbians, bisexual men and bisexual women were assessed separately.

Continuous framings produced more positive evaluations overall, with particular benefits for reducing stigma toward bisexual men.

Reference: Dacosta, L., Morandini, J. S., & Dar-Nimrod, I. (2024). Does exposure to continuous and fluid theories of sexual orientation influence heterosexuals’ evaluations toward bisexual or gay/lesbian people? Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000777