Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media/June 2009 Media Exposure and Viewers’ Attitudes Toward Homosexuality: Evidence for Mainstreaming or Resonance? Jerel P. Calzo and L. Monique Ward This study explored connections between media use and college students’ attitudes of acceptance towards homosexuality (AATH). Data were collected from 1,761 undergraduates (62.7% female, M Age D 19 years). Results varied by the gender, ethnicity, and religiosity of the participants. Overall, greater media consumption among men and those who are highly religious was associated with greater AATH, whereas the reverse was true among women and those who are less religious. Although the associations were modest, the results support evidence of a mainstreaming effect, whereby increased media exposure may draw groups with disparate attitudes towards a more similar viewpoint on homosexuality. Attitudes towards homosexuality have been shown to vary along different de- mographic dimensions such as gender or political orientation (e.g., Herek, 2002; Strand, 1998), but little is known about how these attitudes form. As with other sexual topics, attitudes towards homosexuality are not inborn, but are socialized. Multiple agents contribute to this socialization process, including parents, peers, and religious institutions (e.g., Ballard & Morris, 1998). Prominent among them are likely to be the media, which youth frequently cite as a top source of sexual information (e.g., Brown, Halpern, & L’Engle, 2005; Ward, 2003). Indeed, it is argued that media portrayals may be especially influential in this domain because the controversial nature of the topic may silence discussion from some parents and peers, and because first-hand experience may be limited (Gross, 1991). Me- dia portrayals may be a primary source of information for the 40% of American adults who claim not to know a gay person personally (Pew Research Center, 2003). Jerel P. Calzo (M.A., University of Michigan) is a doctoral candidate in Developmental Psychology at the University of Michigan. His research focuses on the contributions of gender and sexual socialization to adolescent and emerging adult health and social development. L. Monique Ward (Ph.D., University of California, Los Angeles) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Michigan. Her research interests center on gender and sexual socialization, media effects, and adolescent sexuality. © 2009 Broadcast Education Association Journal of Broadcasting & Electronic Media 53(2), 2009, pp. 280–299 DOI: 10.1080/08838150902908049 ISSN: 0883-8151 print/1550-6878 online 280