Understanding to prevent. Study on homophobic prejudice in a sample of university students of the University of Perugia.

Abstract

Discrimination related to sexual orientation and gender identity is still a major problem for LGBT+ people today. After a brief examination of the level of discrimination against LGBT+ people in Italy with respect to the international context, this study investigates the levels of homophobic prejudice in our country, in relation to two dimensions of homonegativity: a traditional and a modern one. The study involved a sample of 899 university students enrolled at the University of Perugia. The multidimensional scale of attitudes towards lesbians and gay men  was used as a survey tool (Gatoet al.2012). The results show that university students reject, in a clear majority, the more traditional dimension of homonegativity, linked to attitudes of rejection, condemnation and pathologization, while there is a significant share of agreement, about one-third of the sample, on the dimension of modern homonegativity, which is more subtle and indirect, linked to social recognition and equality of rights.