Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Individuals’ Perceptions: An Analogue Study

One hundred twenty-six participants who self-identified as gay, lesbian, or bisexual read a vignette of an intake counseling interview. Half of the participants read a vignette that contained heterosexist language, and the other group reviewed a vignette that was free of heterosexist language bias. The authors hypothesized that the heterosexist bias-free group would (a) perceive and rate the counselor more positively, (b) express a higher likelihood of returning to see the counselor, (c) express greater willingness to disclose personal information to the counselor, and (d) express greater comfort in disclosing sexual orientation to the counselor than would the group that reviewed the vignette with heterosexist bias. Results were consistent with all four hypotheses, with the largest effects occurring for utilization intent and for comfort disclosing sexual orientation.