Attitudes Toward Homosexuals Among Youth in Multiethnic Brussels

This study examined attitudes toward lesbians and gay men (referred to in the literature as sexual prejudice ) in a sample of pupils from 70 secondary schools in Brussels. We used items measuring traditional and modern sexual prejudice and support for gay civil rights. We performed a multilevel linear multivariate response analysis to assess both the impact of individual characteristics and school influence on pupils’ attitudes. Controlling for sociodemographic variables, second-generation migrants had more prejudice toward homosexuals than pupils from the ethnic majority group. Identification with the receiving society and perception of group-level institutional discrimination, however, mediated the association between ethnic origin and homonegativity. In contrast to traditional sexual prejudice and gay civil rights issues, modern sexual prejudice items were less affected by individual sociodemographic variables. Modern sexual prejudice also remained rather stable across schools; however, schools did appear to affect civil rights issues and traditional sexual prejudice. This contribution sheds light on the relationship between ethnic origin and sexual prejudice and on the variation of several sexual prejudice dimensions across social groups and schools.