Same-Sex Relationships and Women with Intellectual Disabilities

Background Limited existing research looking at homosexuality and people with intellectual disabilities has identified a low level of knowledge, homophobic attitudes and negative experiences for gay men. Mainstream research has identified traditional gender role beliefs to be highly associated with negative attitudes towards homosexuality. This study examined attitudes towards homosexuality and gender role beliefs in a group of women with intellectual disabilities. Methods The sample consisted of 27 women. Three self-report measures were administered to measure the knowledge of homosexuality, attitudes towards homosexuality and gender role beliefs. Results The participants were found to have limited knowledge, especially regarding lesbianism and to hold prejudicial beliefs. Traditional gender beliefs were also identified and were associated strongly with more negative attitudes towards homosexuality. Conclusions The implications of these findings suggest that education that focussed on the flexibility of gender roles may be beneficial in addition to an emphasis on developing more positive attitudes towards homosexuality.