Turkish Speaking Young Adults Attitudes toward Transgender Individuals: Transphobia, Homophobia and Gender Ideology

Abstract

There is wide research investigating negative attitudes and behaviors toward gays and lesbians within Western societies. However, only a small amount of studies have addressed attitudes toward transgender individuals, particularly in non-Western societies with younger populations. This study, therefore, aimed to examine the predictors of transphobic attitudes in north Cyprus using young adults. Participants were 148 (96 women, 51 men) Turkish speaking young adults, aged between 18 and 25 years (M= 20.29,SD = 2.38). Participants completed a questionnaire package containing measures of intergroup contact, ambivalent sexism, social dominance orientation, homophobic feelings and attitudes, and transphobia. As expected, results showed that intergroup contact, hostile sexism, and homophobia predicted transphobic attitudes. Implications to ameliorate discriminatory attitudes toward transgender individuals in non-Western cultures are discussed.