Need for Non-Discrimination Laws Protecting LGBT People in Kentucky

Non-discrimination laws that include sexual orientation and gender identity provide protections for people who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT). Further, inclusive non-discrimination laws signal a commitment to equality and fairness in the treatment of all individuals. However, statewide nondiscrimination laws in Kentucky do not include protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. This lack of protection creates risks for the unfair treatment of LGBT people in Kentucky

Bases of political judgments: the role of stereotypic and non-stereotypic information

Um den Gebrauch von Stereotypen bei Urteilen über politische Kandidaten zu prüfen, wurden drei Studien durchgeführt. Die erste Studie demonstriert den Effekt von physischer Attraktivität auf die Beurteilung eines Kandidaten, wenn keine anderen entscheidungsrelevanten Informationen verfügbar sind. Es zeigt sich, daß diese dann einen substantiellen Einfluß auf die Persönlichkeitseinschätzung hat. Daraus werden sowohl Schlußfolgerungen über persönliche Qualitäten und die politische Ideologie gezogen. Die weiteren Studien prüften den Zusammenhang von Attraktivität, Parteizugehörigkeit und persönlichen Standpunkten des Kandidaten. Hierbei übt die Attraktivität einen geringeren Einfluß aus. Sollten die Beteiligten nur einen Kandidaten einschätzen, verließen sie sich auf seine politische Vergangenheit und seinen Ruf. Bei der Entscheidung zwischen zwei Kandidaten ist dagegen die Parteizugehörigkeit entscheidender. (psz)'Three experiments investigated the role of stereotypic and nonstereotypic criteria in judgments of political candidates. The effects of physical attractiveness, political party and stands on specific issues on both absolute and comparative judgments of political candidats were examined to evaluate three hypotheses about stereotype and attribute use. In the absence of other information, candidates' physical attractiveness (conveyed through photographs) had a substantial influence on subjects' global evaluations of them and inferences of both their personal qualities and their political ideology. When other information about candidates' party membership and stands on specific issues were available, however, the candidate's attractiveness had no affect on the evaluations of them. When subjects were asked to make comparative judgements of two candidates, however, they based their judgments on each candidate's party membership and not their respective voting records. Implications of these results for the precesses that underlie political judgments and decisions are evaluated.' (authors' abstract

Testing a model of minority identity achievement, identity affirmation, and psychological well-being among ethnic minority and sexual minority individuals

How is social identity related to psychological well-being among minority individuals? Drawing on developmental models of identity formation (e.g., Erikson, 1968) and on Social Identity Theory (Tajfel & Turner, 1979), we tested a conceptual model examining links between two key aspects of social identity and psychological well-being. We proposed that the association between identity achievement (exploring and understanding the meaning of one\u27s identity) and psychological well-being is mediated by identity affirmation (developing positive feelings and a sense of belonging to one\u27s social group). Across three studies, including ethnic minority high school students (Study 1), ethnic minority college students (Study 2) and lesbian and gay male adults (Study 3), we found strong support for the model. Results suggest that the process of exploring and understanding one\u27s minority identity can serve as an important basis for developing positive feelings toward and an enhanced sense of attachment to the group, which can in turn confer psychological benefits for minority individuals. Implications and directions for future research are discussed

Studying the Longest ‘Legal’ U.S. Same-Sex Couples: A Case of Lessons Learned

We review methodological opportunities and lessons learned in conducting a longitudinal, prospective study of same-sex couples with civil unions, recruited from a population-based sample, who were compared with same-sex couples in their friendship circle who did not have civil unions, and heterosexual married siblings and their spouse. At Time 1 (2002), Vermont was the only US state to provide legal recognition similar to marriage to same-sex couples; couples came from other US states and other countries to obtain a civil union. At Time 2 (2005), only one US state had legalized same-sex marriage, and at Time 3 (2013) about half of US states had legalized same-sex marriage, some within weeks of the onset of the Time 3 study. Opportunities included sampling legalized same-sex relationships from a population; the use of heterosexual married couples and same-sex couples not in legalized relationships as comparison samples from within the same social network; comparisons between sexual minority and heterosexual women and men with and without children; improvements in statistical methods for non-independence of data and missing data; and the use of mixed methodologies. Lessons learned included obtaining funding, locating participants over time as technologies changed, and on-going shifts in marriage laws during the study

Perceived psychosocial impacts of legalized same-sex marriage: A scoping review of sexual minority adults’ experiences

A growing body of literature provides important insights into the meaning and impact of the right to marry a same-sex partner among sexual minority people. We conducted a scoping review to 1) identify and describe the psychosocial impacts of equal marriage rights among sexual minority adults, and 2) explore sexual minority women (SMW) perceptions of equal marriage rights and whether psychosocial impacts differ by sex. Using Arksey and O’Malley’s framework we reviewed peer-reviewed English-language publications from 2000 through 2019. We searched six databases (PubMed, PsycINFO, CINAHL, Web of Science, JSTOR, and Sociological Abstracts) to identify English language, peer-reviewed journal articles reporting findings from empirical studies with an explicit focus on the experiences and perceived impact of equal marriage rights among sexual minority adults. We found 59 studies that met our inclusion criteria. Studies identified positive psychosocial impacts of same-sex marriage (e.g., increased social acceptance, reduced stigma) across individual, interpersonal (dyad, family), community (sexual minority), and broader societal levels. Studies also found that, despite equal marriage rights, sexual minority stigma persists across these levels. Only a few studies examined differences by sex, and findings were mixed. Research to date has several limitations; for example, it disproportionately represents samples from the U.S. and White populations, and rarely examines differences by sexual or gender identity or other demographic characteristics. There is a need for additional research on the impact of equal marriage rights and same-sex marriage on the health and well-being of diverse sexual minorities across the globe

The context of cognition and models of voter choice

Previous voting behavior research has assumed that there is one correct model of voting behavior with a set hierarchy of factor contributions. This research departs and assumes that the relative importance of a candidate's party, issue stands, ideology, and image may depend on the context in which the decision process occurs. The context of the decision process is affected by the characteristics of the available information, the judgment task to be performed, and the individual making the decision. How these conditions affect the importance of party, issue stands and ideology, and image is tested through a series of 5 experiments. The effect of these conditions on the more general processes of attribute-based versus category-based processing of information is also explored.The experiments manipulated the issue information given about a candidate and the number of candidates to be judged. The findings confirm that different decision making strategies are used by subjects under different judgment conditions. The choice of an attribute or category based processing strategy in turn affects the relative influence of party, issues, ideology, and image. The major implication for research in social psychology is the finding that complexity plays an important role in the choice between category and attribute oriented processing strategies. The major implications for political scientists are two-fold. First, there is not one correct model of voting behavior. Second the use of party and image factors, and non-use of issue information in voting decisions may not be the result of a conscious choice, or apathy, but may be the result of judgment context factors.U of I OnlyETDs are only available to UIUC Users without author permissio

Marriage amendments and the same-sex marriage debate: The social, psychological, and policy implications

The political debates and policies related to the civil marriage rights of same‐sex couples have psychological and social impacts on lesbian, gay, bisexual individuals and same‐sex couples and also on their families, friends, and communities. The overarching goal of this issue was to significantly advance the previous sparse literature on these impacts. The result is an international, interdisciplinary, methodologically, and theoretically diverse collection of original empirical research articles that collectively address three broad questions: (1) What are the social and psychological effects of marriage amendment campaigns and policies? (2) How does civil marriage compare to other statuses for same‐sex couples or marriage in other countries? (3) How do anti‐gay initiatives affect heterosexual allies and intergroup relationships? Across the diverse approaches and populations that comprise this volume, findings converge in demonstrating that the denial of civil marriage rights is a significant public health issue with important policy implications

Mapping the Landscape of Support and Safety Among Sexual Minority Women and Gender Non-conforming Individuals: Perceptions After the 2016 US Presidential Election

As part of a larger online survey, we conducted an Internet-based study that included both qualitative and quantitative data from a national non-probability sample to examine how sexual minority women and gender non-conforming individuals described their experiences and concerns after the 2016 election. The current study explores responses in relation to local social and political climates. Quantitative analysis of survey responses (N = 969) examined changes in participant concerns relative to state policy context (number of positive policies offering equal rights and protections for LGBTQ communities) and size of community (e.g., urban and rural). Analysis of narrative responses to open-ended questions (n = 605) explored experiences and perceptions of safety and support relative to geographic location. Quantitative analyses showed no difference in levels of concern by size of community of residence and greater concerns among participants in higher equality states compared to those in negative equality states. Qualitative analyses revealed two broad categories of themes: perceptions of safety and support in the state, region or local context (safe havens and hostile locations), and strategies for navigating in the current or changing local social and political landscapes (hunkering down in safe places and with safe people, increasing vigilance and evasion, fleeing unsafe locations, and paving the road to a better future). Findings underscore the broad impact of national elections on perception of safety and civil rights at all levels of the social and political environments