Sex differences in the attitudes of Australian and Indian heterosexual individuals toward gay men, lesbians, bisexual men and bisexual women

In the present study, the attitudes of heterosexual individuals toward same-sex attracted individuals were investigated. Heterosexual Indian and Australian participants (n=472; 254 males) completed a series of measures indexing participants’ attitudes toward lesbians, gay men and bisexual individuals. Overall, compared to Australians, Indians held attitudes that were more negative and less favorable toward same-sex attracted individuals. Australians held more negative attitudes toward bisexual than toward lesbian/gay individuals, a difference that did not occur for Indian participants. Additionally, male participants from Australia and India reported attitudes that were more negative and less favorable toward men who were gay or bisexual in comparison to women of either sexual orientation. These results suggest that cultural context may shape heterosexual attitudes toward lesbian/gay and bisexual individuals and highlight the importance of examining cross-cultural differences in sexual prejudice.