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This paper addresses some conceptual and practical aspects related to campus inclusion of university students who publicly disclose their gender identity and/or sexual orientation. Across the world, harassment, discrimination and exclusion of LGBTQIA+ students is a sensitive issue. Such undesirable attitudes are based on prejudice and stigma that are rooted in cultural beliefs about traditional gender roles, masculinity and femininity, as well as heterosexism. Harassment and discrimination of students based on sexual orientation and/or gender identity and expression negatively affect their physical and mental health, as well as their efforts to adapt to the demands of academic life. By invoking the universal rights of the human individual, various international organizations (e.g., the United Nations or European Commission) have requested members to adopt an integrated set of measures to sanction and prevent psychological harassment, discrimination and university exclusion of LGBTQIA+ students. There is a need to increase public awareness of the rights of this vulnerable group of students. They can be provided with psychological, social, legal and academic support in various forms. Some measures focused on the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ students on the university campus are presented.

Studies have shown that the level of knowledge that the general population or certain social and professional groups have of homosexuality can predict prejudice based on sexual orientation and homophobic attitudes. This exploratory study aimed to evaluate Romanian university students' knowledge of homosexuality. A survey was conducted among 535 subjects enrolled in Bachelor's and master's degrees, as well as pre-service teacher training program. The mean age of participants was 24.82 years (range 18-52; SD = 8.08). The sample included 432 females and 103 males. Participants completed a 15-item questionnaire based on C. A. Koch's modified version of The Knowledge About Homosexuality Questionnaire developed by M. B. Harris, J. Nightengale, and N. Owen. For the total sample, the mean number of correct answers was 5.48 (range 0-13; SD = 2.72) out of 15 items (i.e., 36.5%). This result indicates a relatively modest level of knowledge about homosexuality in the targeted population. Significant differences were observed depending on the study program, orientation on the axis of conservatism vs. liberalism, casual social contact, and friendship with a lesbian/gay person. A replication of the survey on a more representative sample of university students in terms of gender, age, and scientific majors is needed. However, our investigation indicates the need for university students to be knowledgeable about psychological, social, and legal issues affecting lesbian and gay people, to better address and evaluate their opinions and personal feelings surrounding the topic of homosexuality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Of all the issues explored in anthropological, social and behavioral sciences, homosexuality perhaps is most controversial and has evoked more arguments and strong feelings in the general public. Homosexuality is often associated wit anger, love, intimacy, hostility, strong negative attitudes (e.g., severe discrimination and violence), and compassion. This subject involves many things: gender identity and orientation, a way of behaving intimately, a wide range of sexual preferences, a stigma, and a badge of pride and self-assertion. One objective of this paper is to clarify the meanings of homosexuality as well as its psychological, behavioral, and social correlates. Most research on homosexuality has taken the individual as the focus of analysis. A. C. Kinsey's pioneering work investigated the sexual behaviors of the individual and used biographical information to locate the person on a continuum from exclusive homosexuality to exclusive heterosexuality. Other individualistic approaches include studies of the homosexual identity, personality characteristics, subjective well-being, and life histories of gay men and lesbians. Sociocultural analyses, typically undertaken by anthropologists, historians, and sociologists, focus on the societal patterns of homosexuality. Sociocultural researchers seek to describe and explain societal reactions to homosexuality, cultural and subcultural variations in homosexuality, social rules and institutions that regulate homosexuality, etc. In contrast, a relationship perspective takes as the central phenomenon of interest the sexual and romantic relationships that occur between same-sex partners. During the past decades, the prevalence of negative stereotypes against homosexuality has been reduced substantially in most Western societies. Nevertheless, concern remains about the occurence of negative stereotyping attitudes and homophobia in some segments of the general population. Therefore, homosexuality will be analyzed in relation to heterosexism, homophobia, and sexual prejudice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Psychology / Revista de Psihologie is the property of Romanian Academy Publishing House / Editura Academiei Romane and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Copyright of Journal of Psychology / Revista de Psihologie is the property of Romanian Academy Publishing House / Editura Academiei Romane and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Measuring attitude toward homosexuality with well-validated instruments is a critical step for a better understanding of the anti-lesbian/gay public prejudice (formerly known as homophobia). The Revised Attitudes toward Lesbians and Gay Men Scale-Short Version-10 (ATLG-R-S-10) is one of the most known measures of attitude toward lesbians and gay men. This study aimed to test the factorial structure, construct validity, discriminant validity, and reliability of the Romanian version of the ATLG-R-S-10. Participants were 496 Romanian graduates, master's students, and undergraduates from five universities. The sample included 392 women and 104 men aged 18 to 47 years. Participants completed the translated version of ATLG-R-S-10 along with other measures of religiosity and openness (as a domain of stable personality traits). We used confirmatory factor analysis to test the internal validity of the ATLG-R-S-10. The hypothetical model with a single latent factor and full ATLG-R-S-10 items showed an unsatisfactory statistical fit. Also, one item (i.e. "State laws against private sexual behavior between consenting adult women should be abolished") loaded poorly (γ = 0.10) on the hypothetical factor. Therefore, this item was removed and a second analysis was carried out. Results indicated a slight improvement in the statistical fit of this second model, but still unsatisfactory. Suggestions for improving the model led us to correlate three pairs of items, resulting in a third model with a satisfactory statistical fit (NFI =0.961; CFI = 0.969; RMSEA = 0.085). The internal consistency of the nine-item version of the ATLG-R-S (ATLG-R-S-9) was excellent (a = 0.912). Correlational analysis revealed a positive and moderate association (r = 0.48; p < 0.001) between ATLG-R-S-9 score and religiosity. The correlation with openness was negative, but modest (r = - 0.14; p < 0.01). Comparative data are also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]