Machismo Predicts Prejudice Toward Lesbian and Gay Individuals: Testing a Mediating Role of Contact

This study examined the relationship between traditional machismo and prejudice toward lesbian and gay individuals as mediated by contact in a Latino college sample. Gender was examined as a potential moderator. Undergraduate students from a public university in South Texas (128 males and 447 females; mean age = 22.1. SD = 4.75) completed online measures of prejudice toward lesbian and gay individuals, machismo, and contact experience with lesbian and gay individuals. Contact significantly mediated the relationship between machismo and anti-gay prejudice, yet this indirect effect was relatively small. Significant direct and indirect effects of machismo on prejudiced attitudes toward lesbian and gay individuals were found. Gender did not moderate the relationship between machismo and contact. Our findings suggest that efforts to reduce Latinos’ prejudice toward gay men and lesbian women should take cultural views toward gender roles into consideration. Increased positive contact experience with lesbian and gay individuals may be a possible avenue to decrease anti-gay prejudice that stems from heightened traditional machismo.