Park Heterosexism Scale

Abstract

The Heterosexism Scale (HS), developed by Sun-Ah Park in 2001, is a 16-item self-report measure designed to quantify an individual’s endorsement of heterosexist beliefs. Park defined the underlying construct of heterosexism as a system encompassing attitudes, beliefs, institutional structures, and practices that systematically privilege heterosexuality and heterosexual relationships. The HS is empirically supported by robust psychometric properties, including strong reliability and construct validity.

The scale operationalizes heterosexism through two distinct dimensions: the belief in the Superiority of Heterosexuality and the level of Tolerance/Acceptance of Non-Heterosexuality. It serves as a critical tool in research, clinical practice, and educational settings for assessing and tracking attitudes toward lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals and identities.

Keywords

Heterosexism, Attitude Scale, Psychological Measurement, Sexual Orientation, LGBT, Social Prejudice, Superiority of Heterosexuality, Tolerance, Acceptance, Psychometrics

Authors

Sun-Ah Park, K. J. Bieschke

Purpose

The primary objective of the Heterosexism Scale (HS) is to offer a standardized and psychometrically sound instrument capable of measuring the extent of heterosexism held by individuals. Unlike measures focused purely on negative affect (homophobia), the HS was specifically designed to capture the multifaceted, systemic, and preferential nature of this prejudice, addressing beliefs that uphold heterosexual privilege as the societal norm.

The HS is widely utilized as a diagnostic and research instrument across various fields, including academic research, clinical psychology, and the evaluation of diversity and inclusion programs. Its utility lies in its ability to assess heterosexism across individuals, groups, and organizations, providing crucial baseline data and effectively tracking changes in discriminatory beliefs following targeted interventions aimed at promoting inclusion.

Construct

The core psychological construct measured is Heterosexism. Park conceptualized this construct not as a mere individual bias, but as an overarching ideology that institutionalizes the presumed superiority of heterosexuality. This involves a comprehensive structure of attitudes, beliefs, and societal practices that systematically grant preferential treatment and privilege exclusively to heterosexual relationships and identities.

The 16 items of the scale are structured to reflect two underlying, yet related, latent factors that define heterosexist ideology:

• Superiority of Heterosexuality: This factor measures explicit beliefs that position heterosexuality as fundamentally better, more natural, or intrinsically more suitable than other sexual orientations.
• Tolerance/Acceptance of Non-Heterosexuality: This factor assesses the degree of willingness a respondent demonstrates toward tolerating, accepting, or actively affirming non-heterosexual individuals and their relationships within personal, social, and institutional spheres.

Validity

The Heterosexism Scale provides substantial empirical evidence supporting its construct validity. Validation studies confirmed that the HS scores align significantly with established measures of related constructs, ensuring that the scale accurately captures the theoretical domain of systemic prejudice against non-heterosexual identities.

Specifically, the scale demonstrated strong convergent validity, correlating positively with established instruments such as the Attitudes Toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale (Herek, 1988) and the Homophobia Scale (Hudson & Ricketts, 1980). Furthermore, the HS exhibits predictive validity, proving effective in forecasting negative attitudes and behaviors directed toward lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) individuals, thereby reinforcing its value in social psychology research.

Reliability

The psychometric reliability of the HS is considered robust, confirming its suitability for rigorous research and applied contexts. The measure exhibits high internal consistency, with Cronbach’s alpha coefficients consistently falling between 0.83 and 0.92 in the original development sample (Park, 2001). This range indicates excellent homogeneity and inter-item correlation across the 16 items.

In addition to internal consistency, the HS possesses good test-retest reliability, signaling measurement stability over time. Correlations derived from test-retest procedures typically ranged from 0.75 to 0.85 (Park, 2001), assuring researchers that scores remain consistent when the scale is administered to the same individuals on multiple occasions.

Factor Analysis

The structural integrity of the Heterosexism Scale was empirically verified through factor analytic methods, which strongly supported the hypothesized two-factor model. This analysis successfully differentiated the two primary, yet interdependent, dimensions that underpin the theoretical construct: Superiority of Heterosexuality and Tolerance/Acceptance of Non-Heterosexuality.

The dual-factor structure is crucial as it allows researchers to obtain a more nuanced understanding of prejudice, distinguishing between active endorsement of heterosexual supremacy and passive resistance to the inclusion of non-heterosexual identities. While subsequent studies (e.g., Goodrich, Selig, and Crofts, 2014) have generally confirmed this structural model, researchers applying the scale cross-culturally must consider potential limitations arising from varying local social norms and expressions of prejudice.

Instrument

Test Type: Self-report measure

Format: 16 items, typically scored on a 5-point Likert scale (Strongly Disagree, Disagree, Neither Disagree or Agree, Agree, Strongly Agree).

Language Available: English (Original development).

Population Group: General population; utilized across academic research, clinical, and educational samples, including university students and adults.

Age Group: Adolescents and Adults (typically 18 years and older).

Population Details: The scale was developed in the United States. Researchers using the scale in diverse cultural contexts should be aware of potential limitations due to variations in social norms and the expression of prejudice.

Test Methodology: Quantitative assessment designed to measure attitudes and beliefs concerning the relative status, privilege, and societal acceptance of heterosexual identities compared to non-heterosexual identities.

Keywords

Likert Scale, Psychometrics, Prejudice, Social desirability bias, Cronbach’s alpha, Construct validity, Factor Analysis

Authors

Author ORCID Identifier: Not publicly provided in the source material.

Affiliation Email addresses: Contact information for Sun-Ah Park must be sought through institutional channels, such as The Pennsylvania State University or subsequent affiliations.

Correspondence Address: Refer to the original doctoral dissertation for institutional details: The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA.

Permissions & Fee and Test Year

Test Year: 2001 (Year of initial doctoral dissertation). The scale underwent subsequent refinement and presentation in 2002 and 2004.

Permissions and Fee: The Heterosexism Scale is generally available for non-commercial academic research purposes. Researchers intending to use the scale for commercial application or widespread clinical use should contact the primary author directly to obtain specific permissions.

The original PDF of the instrument and dissertation can be downloaded here: http://drum.lib.umd.edu/bitstream/handle/1903/3838/umi-umd-3683.pdf

Reference’s

• Park, J. (2001). Development of the heterosexism scale. (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). The Pennsylvania State University, University Park.
• Park, J., & Bieschke, K. J. (2002). Development of the Heterosexism Scale. Poster presented at the meeting of the American Psychological Association, Chicago, IL.
• Park, Jeeseon. (2004). Development of the Heterosexism Scale. Manuscript submitted for publication.
• Goodrich, Kristopher M., Selig, James P., Crofts, Gene. (2014). An examination of the heterosexism scale. Journal of Homosexuality, 61(10); 1378-1392. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/262789778
• Gallor, Susanna M. (2006). Heterosexual parents’ gender role attitudes, religious orientation, heterosexist beliefs support group experiences and relationship functioning with their lesbian or gay children. Doctoral Dissertation. University of Maryland, College Park.

Items of the Park’s Heterosexism Scale

IMPORTANT: The following scale items must be preserved in their original language and must not be changed in any way.

1. All sexual orientations are natural expressions of human sexuality.
2. Positive aspects of various sexual orientations should be included in public education.
3. I believe that the lives of lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals could not be as fulfilling as those of heterosexual individuals.
4. Only heterosexual individuals are appropriate religious leaders.
5. I think society will benefit from fostering equal opportunity employment for lesbian, gay, and bisexual individuals.
6. Heterosexual couples make better candidates for parents than do same-sex couples for adoption.
7. I would accept my sibling’s partner regardless of his or her sex.
8. No one sexual orientation is better than any other sexual orientation.
9. An anti-discrimination law is incomplete without the inclusion of sexual orientation.
10. There is no reason to restrict lesbian, gay, or bisexual individuals from working in the military.
11. I think lesbian/gay/bisexual people are unfit as teachers.
12. I would not think less of my co-worker if I found out that he or she was a lesbian, gay, or bisexual individual.
13. My relationship with my friend would change if I found out that he or she was not heterosexual.
14. I make sure to invite the partner of my lesbian or gay friend to social functions.
15. In general, heterosexual people are more psychologically adjusted than lesbian, gay, and bisexual people.
16. Legalization of same-sex marriage will dismantle the fundamental foundations for society.