Factors Influencing Bullying and Sexual Orientation Microaggression Perpetration: The Role of Intergroup Contact, Heterosexual Ally Identity, and Attitude Toward Sexual Minorities

Exposure to bias-motivated aggression results in adverse mental health outcomes among sexual and gender minorities. However, less is known about what influences people to engage in aggressive behaviors, especially the subtle and less blatant type. In the present study, we examined how ally identity and attitude mediate the relationship of intergroup contact with the perpetration of sexual orientation microaggression and bullying among cis-straight students (N = 1,736; M-age = 21.32 years, SD = 4.98, age range = 18-68, 78.1% assigned female at birth) in a southwestern university in the United States. Bivariate correlation analysis showed that a greater number of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer people in one's social network and greater frequency of interactions with them are associated with greater ally identity and lesser negative attitude toward sexual minorities. Likewise, bullying and all types of microaggressions were associated with a greater negative attitude. Except for microinvalidation, all other bias-motivated behaviors were associated with lesser ally identity. Results showed that although the direct associations of intergroup contact to bullying, assumption of pathology, and enforcement of binary gender roles were not significant after accounting for ally identity and attitude, this remained significant for microinvalidation. Microinvalidations may occur in intergroup interactions even after accounting for ally identity and attitude. Implications and future directions for research and interventions toward addressing bullying and microaggressions were discussed.