frontline: assault on gay america: how 'homophobic' are you?

FRONTLINE www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/


			Scientifically accurate scoring of this scale is not possible outside of actual research conditions. But the scale can be used as a rough but worthwhile measure of heterosexual attitudes toward homosexuals. In general, the higher the score, the greater the negative attitudes and beliefs about homosexuals. At the end, you can compare your score to the participants' in the Adams study to see whether you ranked as more or less homophobic. A note on the scoring: Answer honestly. The scoring of the test is not as obvious as the 1-5 numbering might indicate.

For much of this century, homosexuality was defined by the medical and scientific community as a psychiatric disorder. In the last several decades, however, "homosexuality" has been removed from the diagnostic manual of disorders, and research emphasis has shifted to the other side of the problem: the study of the negative, sometimes pathological, reactions to homosexuals by heterosexuals.

The term "homophobia" has gained currency as a one-word summary of this widespread problem. Since the early 1980's, scientists attempting to measure homophobia have developed a number of different homophobia scales and questionnaires.

In 1996, as part of his study on homophobia, Dr. Henry Adams and his colleagues at the University of Georgia developed their own "Homophobia Scale" by modifying scales used by other researchers in earlier studies. It's a 25-item questionnaire "designed to measure your thoughts, feelings and behaviors with regards to homosexuality." The instructions stressed: "It is not a test, so there are no right or wrong answers."

Below, FRONTLINE has reproduced this "Wright, Adams, and Bernat Homophobia Scale." It is not a perfect measure of anti-gay feelings or ideas, and is not a predictor of potential for anti-gay violence. [Though this scale was used in a research project designed to test the theory that homophobia is a manifestation of repressed homosexual desire, the scale is not a measure of homosexuality.]

This questionnaire is designed to measure your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors with regards to homosexuality. It is not a test, so there are no right or wrong answers. Answer each item by checking the number after each question as follows:

1 = Strongly agree
2 = Agree
3 = Neither agree nor disagree
4 = Disagree
5 = Strongly disagree

	1	2	3	4	5
1. Gay people make me nervous.

2. Gay people deserve what they get.

3. Homosexuality is acceptable to me.

4. If I discovered a friend was gay I would end the friendship.

5. I think homosexual people should not work with children.

6. I make derogatory remarks about gay people.

7. I enjoy the company of gay people.

8. Marriage between homosexual individuals is acceptable.

9. I make derogatory remarks like "faggot" or "queer" to people I suspect are gay.

10. It does not matter to me whether my friends are gay or straight.

11. It would upset me if I learned that a close friend was homosexual.

12. Homosexuality is immoral.

13. I tease and make jokes about gay people.

14. I feel that you cannot trust a person who is homosexual.

15. I fear homosexual persons will make sexual advances towards me.

16. Organizations which promote gay rights are not necessary.

17. I have damaged property of a gay person, such as "keying" their car.

18. I would feel uncomfortable having a gay roommate.

19. I would hit a homosexual for coming on to me.

20. Homosexual behavior should not be against the law.

21. I avoid gay individuals.

22. It bothers me to see two homosexual people together in public.

23. When I see a gay person I think, "What a waste."

24. When I meet someone I try to find out if he/she is gay.

25. I have rocky relationships with people that I suspect are gay.

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