Demographic Differences of Heterosexist Attitudes in Women's College Athletes

Background/Purpose: Heterosexist attitudes are endemic to athletics (Barber & Krane, 2007; Hawes, 2001; Jacobson, 2002). Consistently, men have demonstrated greater homophobic attitudes than women (Roper & Halloran, 2007).  Little is known regarding the demographic differences within women’s collegiate athletics. The purpose of the study is to compare heterosexist attitudes by type of sport (individual versus team), NCAA division, and other demographic variables. 

Method: A national (n = 621) and regional (n = 225) sample of female collegiate athletes (N = 846) concurrently completed the Heterosexist Attitudes in Sport – Lesbian scale (HAS-L; Mullin, 2013) and a demographic questionnaire online or via paper and pencil.  A 3 (Division) x 2 (Sport Type) MANOVA and a 3 (Political Affiliation) x 2 (Ethnicity) x 3 (Sexual Orientation) MANOVA were conducted. The four subscales of the HAS-L were the dependent variables: Cognitive/Affective (C/A), Language Behaviors (LB), Inclusion Behaviors (IB), and Avoidance of the Lesbian Label (ALL). 

Analysis/Results: No significant first order or second order interactions were found. A significant main effect for Sport Type was found [Λ = .99, F (4, 724) = 4.37, p < .05, partial η² = .02]. Team sport athletes reported significantly higher heterosexist LB than individual sport athletes (F = 16.05, p < .05). A significant main effect for Division was found [Λ = .97, F (12, 1915.82) = 1.90, p < .05, partial η² = .01]. Division I athletes reported significantly higher heterosexist C/A, LB, and ALL attitudes than Divisions II and III.  No significant main effect was found for ethnicity. A significant main effect for political affiliation was found [Λ = .93, F (8, 678) = 3.05, p < .05, partial η² = .04]. Conservatives reported significantly higher heterosexist C/A (F = 8.42, p = <.05) and ALL (F = 4.86, p < .05) attitudes. A significant main effect for sexual orientation was found [Λ = .94, F (4, 338) = 5.16, p < .05, partial η² = .06]. Individuals self-reporting as exclusively heterosexual or “1” on the Kinsey scale reported significantly higher C/A heterosexist attitudes than those reporting as “2” or higher. 

Conclusions: Attitudinal differences were found in sport type, division, political affiliation, and sexual orientation. Significant differences were most frequently found on the C/A and LB subscales. Coaches, administrators, and sports psychologists should consider education through appropriate use of language and debunking stereotypes when educating their athletes on heterosexism to create a more inclusive environment.