The articulated thoughts of heterosexual male college students in reaction to anti-gay hate speech

UnrestrictedThough scholars acknowledge heterosexuals can be targets of anti-gay aggression, little research has examined the effects of such victimization. This study examines how the experience of being the target of anti-gay hate speech impacts heterosexual males and how these impacts differ from those of hostile non-hate speech. Using the Articulated Thoughts in Simulated Situations Paradigm (ATSS), 58 heterosexual male college students were randomly assigned to one of two ATSS conditions: an anti-gay hate speech condition ( "fag ") or a hostile non-hate speech condition ( "asshole" ). Results indicate that being the target of anti-gay hate speech resulted in significantly less anxiety than hostile non-hate speech. However, participants who attributed their being targeted to anti-gay motivations expressed significantly more anger than participants who did not