Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Psychology
Program Name/Specialization
Social Psychology
Faculty/School
Faculty of Science
First Advisor
Dr. Frank Kachanoff
Advisor Role
Research and thesis supervisor
Abstract
Research on the Traditional Sexual Script (TSS) suggests it can have harmful repercussions, such as sexual violence, gender inequity, and the undermining of communication. My research explores the novel idea that intergroup contact with 2SLGBTQ+ individuals can promote CisHet (cisgender, heterosexual) individuals to value alternative sexual scripts that emphasize communication, authenticity, and equity, and to question the TSS. In Study 1, I found that CisHet people who had more 2SLGBTQ+ contact reported greater concern for consent and were less likely to agree with traditional gender norms relative to those who made less contact. In both Study 2 and Study 3, I find that generally, CisHet participants were more likely to positively perceive and intend to adopt sex as described in an encounter that followed an alternative versus traditional sexual script. When considering the role of contact, in Study 2, I found that higher 2SLGBTQ+ contact was associated with greater positive perceptions of the alternative encounter, and less positive perceptions of the traditional encounter, but was not associated with people’s intention to have sex like the traditional or alternative. In Study 3, I found that 2SLGBTQ+ contact was associated with greater positive perceptions of the alternative encounter, and greater intentions to have sex like the alternative encounter, but did not relate to positive perceptions of or intentions to adopt the traditional encounter. Lastly, in Study 3, I found initial qualitative evidence that CisHet individuals may learn about alternative sexual scripts from 2SLGBTQ+ communities, as well as see 2SLGBTQ+ individuals as an example of how to challenge dominant norms and scripts. Taken together, my work highlights the important potential role of queer and trans ways of knowing for cultivating alternative sexual scripts that allow all people to live sexually fulfilling lives.
Recommended Citation
Landry, Sophie R., "2SLGBTQ+ Contact as a Vehicle for Promoting Alternative Sexual Scripts Through Exposure to Queer and Trans Ways of Knowing" (2025). Theses and Dissertations (Comprehensive). 2822.
https://scholars.wlu.ca/etd/2822
Convocation Year
2025
Convocation Season
Fall
Included in
Other Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons, Queer Studies Commons, Social Justice Commons, Social Psychology Commons, Women's Studies Commons