Bias as identity expression: How religious and political identification shape sexual prejudice

Last year the Human Rights Campaign declared a national state of emergency forLGBTQ+ people in the U.S. in response to an “epidemic of violence” and hate crimes. Homeland security warned of a surge in anti-LGBTQ+ threats against schools, hospitals, and libraries, and hundreds of anti-trans bills were introduced. What explains the surge in hate against these marginalized groups? I will present new research suggesting that expressions of prejudice against gay and transgender individuals are tied to assertions of conservative Christian identity. Both Christians and non-Christians assumed people who express sexual prejudice or transphobia were more religious and more conservative than those who expressed relative favoritism toward these groups. When Christian group membership was threatened, conservative Christians expressed more negative attitudes toward gay and transgender groups than when their group membership was affirmed. This suggests Christians may use bias expressions to signal worthy group membership. I will discuss the implications of identity-motivated bias for other intergroup conflicts.

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