Homophobia and heterosexism in social workers

Evidence suggests that social workers may be biased when dealing with gay and lesbian populations. The study discussed in this article attempted to measure the extent of homophobia and heterosexist bias and their correlates in a cohort of 187 social workers using the Index of Attitudes toward Homosexuality, the Attitudes toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scales, and a newly created scale to measure heterosexist bias. We found that 10 percent of respondents were homophobic and that a majority were heterosexist. Levels of homophobia and heterosexism were negatively correlated with amount of social contact with homosexual men and women. Religiosity was associated with higher levels of homophobia and heterosexism, and having been in psychotherapy was associated with more positive attitudes toward gay men and lesbians. Amount of education on topics related to homosexuality was not correlated with levels of homophobia and heterosexism.