People have prejudices about sexuality. This occurs when an
individual have negative attitudes towards other individual or
group of individuals based on their sexual orientation. It can be
against homosexuals, bisexuals or heterosexuals. People have
prejudices particularly for homosexuals (lesbians and gay) or
bisexuals.
People hold these prejudices due to following reasons.
- Conservative mindset: Conservative mindset of people can lead
to prejudices for sexuality as the same is viewed as amoral by
people in previous centuries. Also low educational background and
low economic background can lead to prejudices.
- Religious teaching: Religious teaching focuses on
heterosexuality and consider homosexuality/ bisexuality as a
violation of norms of masculinity and femininity.
- Sexual Stigma: Culture’s values which focuses on inferior
status, powerlessness, negative image of non-heterosexuals leads to
negative views.
- Unwanted sexual interest: Heterosexuals do not have sexual
interest in homosexuals or bisexuals. Hence non heterosexuals are
viewed negatively.
- Health reason: Heterosexuals consider sexual behavior of
non-heterosexual as abnormal. They also have fear of Sexually
transmitted diseases.
- Securing social acceptance: Human is a social animal. Hence
heterosexual people try to avoid interactions with
non-heterosexuals to avoid being socially detached.
- Affirming values that are central to one's self-concept:
Heterosexuals give importance to values that are central to their
self-concept. Person’s sexual orientation is a major part of
self-concept. So they try to avoid negative emotions associated
with threats to self-concept.
However in modern time this prejudice is vanishing as
homosexuality is getting accepted by people around the globe and
they are treated as common people. More awareness regarding the
same is getting created in the society.