Gender Identity Threat, Gender Nonconformity, and Support for Same-Sex Behavior and Marriage

• In Event: Sociology of Sex and Gender Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (60 minute): Table 3. Queer, Trans, and Nonbinary Lives Across the Life Course

Abstract

Many studies in sociology and psychology show that women express lower levels of sexual prejudice than comparable men. Yet, by focusing primarily on categorical gender gaps, this literature often overlooks heterogeneity in masculinity and femininity within men and women. Gender nonconformity offers a lens to test the gender identity threat theory, which suggests that nonconformity is associated with lower support for same-sex issues, with stronger associations among men and for reflected (i.e., how individuals believe others perceive them) than self-rated nonconformity. Empirical evidence based on nationally representative data remains limited. Using 2024 General Social Survey (GSS) data, which newly included gradational measures of masculinity and femininity in both self-rated and reflected appraisal domains, we examine how gender nonconformity relates to multidimensional sexuality attitudes and whether these associations differ between men and women. Sexual prejudice is measured through the disapproval of same-sex behavior, disapproval of same-sex marriage, and inconsistency in disapproval across both domains. Preliminary results showed that 9% of men and 6% of women self-identified as gender nonconforming, while roughly 10% believed others perceived them as gender nonconforming. A battery of multivariable logistic regression models provided limited support for the hypotheses, revealing nuanced differences between self-rated and reflected nonconformity and by men and women. Ongoing analyses will further refine the theoretical framework and contribute to research on gender inequality, LGBTQ rights, social psychology, and survey methodology.

Author

• Haoming Song, Case Western Reserve University