TY - JOUR
T1 - Heteronormativity in the university classroom: Novelty attachment and content substitution among gay-friendly students
AU - Ripley, M
AU - Anderson, E
AU - McCormack, M
AU - Rockett, Benjamin
PY - 2012/4
Y1 - 2012/4
N2 - This article explores the complex relationship between an openly gay instructor, homophobia, and heteronormativity in a university classroom. The authors first tabulated the frequency with which the instructor used the lives of heterosexuals and homosexuals as examples of content or as content itself, and then they interviewed 32 students about their perceptions of these frequencies. They found that students significantly overestimated lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) frequencies and underestimated heterosexual ones. The authors develop two analytical concepts to highlight this form of heteronormativity: novelty attachment and content substitution. They explain these phenomena by suggesting that the novelty of using LGBT examples and discussing homosexuality as content results in the activation of stereotypes among otherwise gay-friendly students. They examine the cognitive underpinnings of this using social identity theory and call for further research to examine the applicability of their theory to other minority groups. © American Sociological Association 2012.
AB - This article explores the complex relationship between an openly gay instructor, homophobia, and heteronormativity in a university classroom. The authors first tabulated the frequency with which the instructor used the lives of heterosexuals and homosexuals as examples of content or as content itself, and then they interviewed 32 students about their perceptions of these frequencies. They found that students significantly overestimated lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) frequencies and underestimated heterosexual ones. The authors develop two analytical concepts to highlight this form of heteronormativity: novelty attachment and content substitution. They explain these phenomena by suggesting that the novelty of using LGBT examples and discussing homosexuality as content results in the activation of stereotypes among otherwise gay-friendly students. They examine the cognitive underpinnings of this using social identity theory and call for further research to examine the applicability of their theory to other minority groups. © American Sociological Association 2012.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84858328545&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/0038040711427315
U2 - 10.1177/0038040711427315
DO - 10.1177/0038040711427315
M3 - Article
SN - 0038-0407
VL - 85
SP - 121
EP - 130
JO - Sociology of Education
JF - Sociology of Education
IS - 2
ER -