Fringe benefits: secondary transfer effects of lesbian, gay, and bisexual contact on transgender prejudice

Intergroup contact is often an effective means of prejudice reduction. However, transgender individuals, a highly stigmatized group, make up a small proportion (0.58%; Flores et al., 2016 ) of the U.S. population, which significantly limits the feasibility of direct contact for most people. Thus, secondary transfer effects, wherein the benefits of contact with one group generalizes to other related groups, may be an important means of transgender prejudice reduction. Across two studies ( N s = 242 and 172), we assessed the extent to which contact with sexual minority (i.e., lesbian, gay, or bisexual) individuals was associated with secondary transfer effects on transgender prejudice. We also examined the extent to which secondary transfer effects varied by relationship type (i.e., friend, family, acquaintance). Participants completed online surveys that assessed prejudice and contact experience with lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender individuals. Overall, contact with lesbians and gay men was associated with less prejudice toward transgender individuals indirectly through lower prejudice toward each respective group, and friendships were the most consistent relationship type associated with secondary transfer effects. Contact with bisexuals, as well as family members, was inconsistently associated with transgender prejudice. The findings suggest secondary transfer effects as a potential means of transgender prejudice reduction and emphasize the need to assess relationship type and contact group, as patterns of prejudice reduction were not uniform across groups often perceived to be similar.