Identification and Involvement With the Gay Community Scale

Abstract

The Identification and Involvement with the Gay Community Scale (IGCS) is an eight-item, self-report psychometric instrument developed by Peter A. Vanable, David J. McKirnan, and Joseph P. Stokes. It is specifically designed to quantify the degree of involvement with, and perceived psychological closeness to, the gay community among men who have sex with men (MSM), including both homosexually and bisexually active individuals. The scale characterizes individual differences in self-identification and community integration, which is critical since these men are often treated as a homogeneous group despite vast variation in their social identities.

The IGCS is composed of four items measuring subjective identification (attitudes toward self-labeling and community belonging) using a 5-point Likert scale (ranging from 1, completely disagree, to 5, completely agree), and four items measuring behavioral involvement (frequency of engagement in community activities, media consumption, and social network composition). The scale was initially developed as part of a larger research effort focused on identifying variables associated with HIV risk behavior in this population.

Keywords

Identification, Involvement, Gay Community, Bisexual Men, Men who have sex with men, Sexual Orientation, Social Identity, HIV Risk, Psychometrics, Self-report.

Authors

Peter A. Vanable, David J. McKirnan, Joseph P. Stokes.

Purpose

The primary purpose of the IGCS is to quantify and characterize the substantial individual differences in how men who have sex with men (MSM) relate to the broader gay community. This measurement is crucial because self-identification as gay and active involvement in community life vary significantly, especially among bisexually active men, affecting their social support structures and exposure to community norms.

The scale was initially conceived as part of an extensive research program aiming to identify both individual and community-level variables that predict HIV risk behavior. By accurately measuring psychological identification and behavioral involvement, researchers sought to establish how integration into the gay community might mediate sexual practices and vulnerability to HIV infection.

Construct

The IGCS measures the multifaceted construct of Identification and Involvement with the Gay Community. This construct integrates both psychological affiliation and demonstrable social engagement.

• Subjective Identification: This dimension is tapped by four attitudinal items that assess the respondent’s perceived closeness, psychological connection, and the importance of being attracted to men or self-identifying as part of the community. These items utilize a 5-point agreement scale.

• Behavioral Involvement: This dimension is measured by four items assessing concrete actions and social ties, including the frequency of reading gay or lesbian media, attending organizational activities, frequenting gay bars, and the number of gay friends in the respondent’s social network.

Validity

Validity data were derived from a large, diverse sample of bisexual and gay men (N = 750) residing in the Chicago metropolitan area. The IGCS demonstrated strong construct validity through its correlation with established measures of sexual orientation and related psychosocial variables.

IGCS scores were found to be positively correlated with 7-point Kinsey ratings of sexual orientation (r = .58, p < .0001), confirming that individuals reporting stronger identification and involvement tended to rate themselves as more homosexual in orientation. Furthermore, the scale reliably differentiated between men who self-identified as gay, bisexual, or straight (M scores: 3.09, 2.38, & 1.51, respectively; F(2, 733) = 159.0, p < .0001).

Additional construct validity was established by correlating IGCS scores with other relevant factors: high scorers were more “out” about their same-sex activity (r = .53), reported greater acceptance from friends (r = .56), and were less self-homophobic (r = –.35). Importantly, the scale demonstrated predictive validity regarding sexual behavior and HIV risk behavior. High IGCS scores correlated with increased overall sexual behavior with men and a greater likelihood of having unprotected anal contact with another man. Conversely, low IGCS scores were associated with an increased likelihood of having unprotected vaginal or anal sex with women.

Reliability

Reliability analysis was conducted on the comprehensive study sample (N = 750), which included African-American (51%) and White (49%) men recruited based on specific sexual behavior criteria, aged between 18 and 30.

The internal consistency of the IGCS was robust, yielding a Cronbach alpha coefficient of .78 for the complete sample. Temporal stability was assessed using a subgroup of respondents (n = 218) who completed a 1-year follow-up interview. The Test-retest reliability for this subsample was found to be .74, indicating stable measurement properties over a long duration.

Factor Analysis

The IGCS is structured to measure a potentially two-dimensional construct: subjective attitudes and behavioral indices. Although the source documentation does not provide explicit factor analysis results (e.g., component loadings or eigenvalues), the item composition strongly suggests that the first four items load onto a factor of Subjective Identification, while the remaining four items load onto a factor of Behavioral Involvement.

The current version of the scale, which includes subjective ratings, represents an evolution from an earlier version described by Stokes et al. (1993) that focused solely on behavioral indices. Despite the dual nature of the items, the standard scoring procedure requires computing a single mean across all eight items, suggesting that the scale is typically treated as a unified measure of overall identification and involvement.

Instrument

Test Type: Psychometric Scale / Self-Report Questionnaire

Format: Eight-item scale combining Likert-type attitude statements and categorical frequency/count responses.

Language Available: English (Original research conducted in the US).

Population Group: Men who have sex with men (MSM), including those who identify as gay, bisexual, or straight but report same-sex activity.

Age Group: Primarily Young Adulthood (18–30 years in the initial validation sample).

Population Details: The initial validation sample (N=750) was a diverse group from Chicago, consisting of 51% African-American and 49% White men. Recruitment was based on sexual behavior criteria (having male and/or female partners in the preceding three years).

Test Methodology: The scale has been successfully administered using both face-to-face interview formats (with trained interviewers) and self-report questionnaire formats, yielding similar psychometric properties.

Keywords

Self-Identification, Sexual Behavior, Bisexuality, Homosexuality, Chicago Study, Social Network, AIDS Research, HIV risk behavior, Psychometrics.

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not provided in source.

Affiliation Email addresses: [email protected] (for Peter A. Vanable)

Correspondence Address: Peter A. Vanable, Department of Psychology & Center for Health and Behavior, Syracuse University, 430 Huntington Hall, Syracuse, NY 13244.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

This research was supported through Cooperative Agreement Number U64/CCU506809-02 with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The core validation studies referencing the current scale version were published and presented in 1993 and 1995.

Specific information regarding permissions, licensing, or commercial fees for the use of the IGCS is not provided in the source documentation.

Reference’s

The following academic works and presentations are cited in connection with the development and validation of the IGCS:

• McKirnan, D. J., Stokes, J. P., Doll, L. S., & Burzette, R. G. (1995). Bisexually active men: Social characteristics and sexual behavior. The Journal of Sex Research, 32, 64–75.
• McKirnan, D. J., Stokes, J. P., Vanable, P. A., Burzette, R. G., & Doll, L. S. (1993, June). Predictors of unsafe sex among bisexual men: The role of gay identification. Poster presentation to the IX International Conference on AIDS, Berlin, Germany.
• McKirnan, D. J., & Vanable, P. A. (1995). [Centers for Disease Control Collaborative HIV Sero-Incidence Study]. Unpublished raw data.
• McKirnan, D. J., Vanable, P. A., & Stokes, J. P. (1995). HIV-risk sexual behavior among bisexually active men: The role of gay identification and social norms. Unpublished manuscript.
• Stokes, J. P., McKirnan, D. J., & Burzette R. G. (1993). Sexual behavior, condom use, disclosure of sexuality, and stability of sexual orientation in bisexual men. The Journal of Sex Research, 30, 202–213.
• Vanable, P. A., McKirnan, D. J., Stokes, J. P., Taywaditep, K. J., & Burzette, R. G. (1993, November). Subjective sexual identification among bisexually active men: Effects on sexual behavior and sexual risk. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Society for the Scientific Study of Sex, Chicago, IL.

Items of the Identification and Involvement With the Gay Community Scale

Directions: This questionnaire concerns some of your general attitudes and experiences. For each question, circle the response that is most accurate for you personally. Answer the questions quickly, giving your first “gut reactions.”

Response options for Items 1–4 range from 1 (Do not agree at all) to 5 (Strongly agree).

1. It is very important to me that at least some of my friends are bisexual or gay.
2. Being gay makes me feel part of a community.
3. Being attracted to men is important to my sense of who I am.
4. I feel very distant from the gay community.

For questions 5–7, please think in terms of the last six months or so.

5. How often do you read a gay or lesbian oriented paper or magazine, such as the Advocate or other local gay/bisexual papers?

   A = Never B = Once a month or less C = Several times a month D = About once a week E = Several times a week or daily

6. How often do you attend any gay or lesbian organizational activities, such as meetings, fund-raisers, political activities, etc.?

   A = Never B = Once a month or less C = Several times a month D = About once a week E = Several times a week or daily

7. How often do you go to a gay bar?

   A = Never B = Once a month or less C = Several times a month D = About once a week E = Several times a week or daily

8. About how many gay men would you call personal friends (as opposed to casual acquaintances)?

   A = None B = 1 gay friend C = 2 gay friends D = 3 or 4 gay friends E = 5 or more gay friends

Scoring Note: Prior to computing the final mean scale score, responses to questions 5 through 8 must be converted to numeric values (A = 1, B = 2, C = 3, D = 4, E = 5). Item 4 must be reverse coded. Higher mean scores indicate greater identification and involvement with the gay community.