Cultural Stereotypes and Personal Beliefs: Perceptions of Heterosexual Men, Women, and People Jes L. Matsick and Terri D. Conley University of Michigan The present research prioritizes minority groups’ perspectives, specifically in the context of lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and transgender (LGBQT) and heterosexual dynamics. Study 1 elucidates LGB people’s knowledge of stereotypes about heterosexuals, whereas Study 2 examines the extent to which LGBQT people believe in stereotypes about heterosexuals. In Study 1, we asked a large sample of LGB-identified participants to describe cultural stereotypes that exist about heterosexual men, women, or people (gender unspecified) and analyzed the data in terms of frequency and thematic content. Results indicated that cultural stereotypes about heterosexual targets are gendered (e.g., macho and aggressive; hyper-feminine and submissive) and negative in content (e.g., closed-minded and judgmental). In Study 2, we measured LGBQT participants’ personal endorsement of cultural stereotypes about heterosexual target groups (generated by participants in Study 1). The results of Study 2 demonstrated that LGBQT participants’ beliefs about heterosexual men and people overlap, whereas participants tend to perceive heterosexual women in a favorable light. Taken together, these 2 studies offer new insight into intergroup relations between sexual minorities and heterosexuals by evaluating the cultural stereotypes and personal beliefs held by LGBQT people. Keywords: stereotypes, personal beliefs, LGBQT issues, gender, intergroup relations A voluminous collection of stereotyping, prejudice, and dis- crimination research positions stigmatized group members as the “objects” of analysis and majority group members as the “sub- jects” (Amir, 1969, as explained in Shelton, 2000). Beginning with Allport (1954), research on intergroup biases overwhelmingly focused on dominant groups’ thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors about and toward people with marginalized identities (e.g., hetero- sexuals’ stereotypes about lesbian women and gay men; Clausell & Fiske, 2005; Herek, 2000, 2009; Massey, 2010). Given that intergroup relations are, by definition, a two-way process, the omission of the minority perspective is alarming and leaves an incomplete understanding of intergroup dynamics. By only exam- ining the perspectives of dominant group members, researchers underestimate the value of minorities’ perceptions of others to inform our understanding of what may occur during intergroup interactions. Empirical Approaches to Intergroup Dynamics Within LGBQT Contexts Our knowledge about the relations between heterosexual indi- viduals and members of lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, and trans- gender (LGBQT) communities follows a similar trajectory. Al- though researchers have examined the thoughts, attitudes, and behaviors of heterosexuals toward LGBQT-identified people, the ways in which LGBQT-identified individuals perceive heterosex- uals have been given relatively less attention. In particular, a large body of research documents stereotypes that heterosexuals hold about lesbian and gay people (e.g., Herek, 1991), antigay prejudice (e.g., Herek, 2009), and discrimination toward sexual minorities (e.g., Bailey, Wallace, & Wright, 2013). These well-established areas of research pursue a critical line of empirical inquiry because they demonstrate the ways in which people with social and polit- ical power (heterosexuals) perceive and interact with those with relatively less power (sexual minorities). Moreover, this approach to research helps to identify strategies for reducing people’s en- dorsement of antigay stereotypes, prejudice, and discrimination. In addition, a subset of research focused on LGBQT issues departs from traditional models of stereotyping and prejudice research by using LGBQT-identified individuals as participants of research (rather than as targets of person perception paradigms). These studies aim to uncover the ways in which sexual minorities are affected by and respond to stereotypes, prejudice, and discrim- ination. To elucidate the psychological and physiological impacts of having a stigmatized identity, a growing body of literature focuses on how people who are stigmatized cope with experiences of everyday prejudice and discrimination (see Major, Mendes, & Dovidio, 2013 for a review). For instance, Duncan and Hatzen- buehler (2014) evaluated the relationship between the antigay hate crimes and the psychological health of people who identify as LGBT and found that the prevalence of hate crimes may contribute to suicidal thoughts and attempts among LGBT-identified adoles- cents. Thus, within the context of LGBQT issues, research on coping strategies and the negative effects of stigma yields strong implications for promoting greater societal acceptance and legal protection of LGBQT-identified people (Meyer, 2003). Jes L. Matsick and Terri D. Conley, Department of Psychology, Uni- versity of Michigan. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Jes L. Matsick, Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 3020 East Hall, 530 Church Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1043. E-mail: jmatsick @umich.edu This document is copyrighted by the American Psychological Association or one of its allied publishers. This article is intended solely for the personal use of the individual user and is not to be disseminated broadly. Psychology of Sexual Orientation and Gender Diversity © 2016 American Psychological Association 2016, Vol. 3, No. 1, 113–128 2329-0382/16/$12.00 http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/sgd0000143 113