The Fear of Being Associated with Sexual Minority Close Others: Socio-Cultural Predictors of Sexual Minority Affiliate Stigma

LGB affiliate stigma, the prejudicial and discriminatory attitudes toward individuals who have close associations with LGB people, is a particularly harmful form of stigma against close others (e.g., family members, friends) of LGB individuals. Compared to individualistic cultures, affiliate stigma could be more prevalent in collectivistic cultures due to the heavy emphasis on interpersonal relationship and social harmony; however, only a limited number of cross-cultural and quantitative research is available on this topic. The current research effort looked to explore potential social-cultural predictors of gay and lesbian affiliate stigma using a sample recruited from two urban Chinese communities. Univariate regression analysis showed that female gender, more prior contact with gay/lesbian, higher levels of perceived biogenetic causes of sexual orientation, higher endorsement of Western culture, lower levels of perceived public stigma, and lower homophobia predicted lower levels of gay and lesbian affiliate stigma. However, only endorsement of Western culture, public stigma, and homophobia were significant in multiple regression analysis. The current findings shed light on the potential effects of culture and social influences on Chinese individual’s perceptions of gay and lesbian affiliate stigma and highlight the importance of increasing exposure of sexual minority issues and education among the general public.