Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity-Based Prejudice

Very little developmental research has focused on children’s and adolescents’ beliefs and attitudes regarding sexual orientation and gender identity/expression (SOGIE), despite documented evidence of the frequency and negative developmental consequences of bullying and harassment related to SOGIE. Although limited research on perpetrators of these types of harassment is beginning to emerge, little of this work is framed around this concept. In this article, I define SOGIE-based prejudice, outline a multidimensional approach to understanding this phenomenon, and review the available developmental literature as it is related to age, gender, intergroup contact, and social reasoning. SOGIE-based prejudice involves attitudes about three distinct phenomena: beliefs about homosexuality (e.g., acceptability of same-sex sexuality, how someone becomes gay or lesbian), attitudes about social interactions (e.g., exclusion, using anti-gay language, comfort interacting with a gay peer), and attitudes about rights (e.g., access, institutional discrimination). I conclude with recommendations for research on this issue.