Effects of friends’ coming out on heterosexuals’ attitudes toward homosexuals:

Moderating role of gender self-esteem

Abstract

Previous studies have indicated that heterosexuals who had faced their close friends’ coming out tend to have a more positive attitude toward homosexuals in general but have decreased interactions with their close homosexual friends. We investigated why such a difference between heterosexual attitudes toward homosexuals in general and toward their close homosexual friends emerges after their friends came out. We conducted two imaginary vignette studies with Japanese undergraduates. Results from Study 1 (N = 186) revealed that both male and female heterosexuals with high gender self-esteem positively changed their attitudes toward homosexuals in general after their friends came out. Results from Study 2 (N = 147) revealed that social contagion concerns served as a significant predictor for avoidance responses to their friends who came out. However, such links between social contagion concerns and avoidance behaviors observed in heterosexuals were moderated by gender self-esteem. Heterosexual males’ gender self-esteem promoted the relations, but heterosexual females’ gender self-esteem mitigated the relations. The role of gender self-esteem in the context of coming out is discussed beyond the traditional and narrow-sense sex-role perspectives.