Gay- and Lesbian-Sounding Auditory Cues Elicit Stereotyping and Discrimination

Fabio Fasoli, Anne Maass, Maria Paola Paladino, Simone Sulpizio

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

The growing body of literature on the recognition of sexual orientation from voice (“auditory gaydar”) is silent on the cognitive and social consequences of having a gay-/lesbian- versus heterosexual-sounding voice. We investigated this issue in four studies (overall N = 276), conducted in Italian language, in which heterosexual listeners were exposed to single-sentence voice samples of gay/lesbian and heterosexual speakers. In all four studies, listeners were found to make gender-typical inferences about traits and preferences of heterosexual speakers, but gender-atypical inferences about those of gay or lesbian speakers. Behavioral intention measures showed that listeners considered lesbian and gay speakers as less suitable for a leadership position, and male (but not female) listeners took distance from gay speakers. Together, this research demonstrates that having a gay/lesbian rather than heterosexual-sounding voice has tangible consequences for stereotyping and discrimination.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1261-1277
Number of pages17
JournalArchives of Sexual Behavior
Volume46
Issue number5
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 1 2017

Keywords

  • Discrimination
  • Sexual orientation
  • Stereotypes
  • “Gaydar”

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Arts and Humanities (miscellaneous)
  • General Psychology

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