From Legal Tolerance to Social Acceptance: Predictors of Heterosexism in Romania

This secondary analysis of recent survey data from a representative sample of Romanians intends to identify individual-level variables most likely to predict variations in public attitudes toward homosexuals' civil liberties. Age, conventional beliefs, and religiosity positively and significantly predict heterosexism (e.g., approximately 46% of Romanians believe that homosexuals should not be ‘free to live life as they wish'). While there are no significant gender-based differences in Romanians' attitudes regarding sexual minorities' rights, education, urban residency, frequency of social contacts, and experience with nonconformist family arrangements are variables more likely to be associated with the social acceptance of homosexuals. Findings and the weak effect of the country's LGBT rights legislation on public perceptions of homosexuality are discussed within the social and cultural context of contemporary Romania.