387 Journal of Homosexuality, 56:387–400, 2009 Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC ISSN: 0091-8369 print/1540-3602 online DOI: 10.1080/00918360902728871 WJHM 0091-8369 1540-3602 Journal of Homosexuality, Vol. 56, No. 3, February 2009: pp. 1–23 Journal of Homosexuality Irish University Students’ Support for the Human Rights of Lesbian Women and Gay Men Students’ Support for Human Rights T. G. Morrison et al. TODD G. MORRISON, CAOIMHE SPEAKMAN, and TRAVIS A. RYAN School of Psychology, National University of Ireland, Galway, Ireland Irish university students attending a second year social psychology module (N = 353) were randomly allocated either a gay or lesbian version of a 25-item scale measuring support for the human rights of sexual minorities. Results indicated that, in comparison to female participants, males evidenced significantly lower levels of support. Further, this difference remained irrespective of whether the target was a gay man or a lesbian woman. Exploratory analy- ses also revealed that participants’ support for the human rights of sexual minorities was inversely associated with their levels of political conservatism and religiousness (as determined by self-identification and church attendance measures), and was positively associated with having “out” gay and lesbian friends. Limitations of this study and avenues for further inquiry are articulated. KEYWORDS homonegativity, homophobia, homosexuality, lesbian women, gay men, human rights, Ireland Human rights, which may be conceptualized as “first and foremost the right to life and [secondarily] any rights which maintain the existence and quality of that life for all people” (Ellis, 2002, p. 239), have emerged as a dominant theme in the campaign for equality for sexual minorities. Although the Universal Declaration of Human Rights claims to protect the rights of all citizens, Ellis and Kitzinger (2002) report that “in no country in the world do lesbian [women] and gay men currently have equal human rights with heterosexual persons” (p. 168). In Ireland, for instance, homosexuality was The authors would like to thank Aoife Harrington who played an integral role in collecting the data. Address correspondence to Todd G. Morrison, Department of Psychology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, SK, S7H OP6, Canada. E-mail: Todd.morrison@usask.ca