Measuring the tangible fear of heterosexist violence

This study established psychometric testing (reliability and principal component analysis) to validate the Fear of Heterosexism Scale (FoHS) (Asquith & Fox, 2013). To enhance the application of the new scale, four hypotheses were tested. As suggested by the literature, victims of heterosexist prejudice, discrimination and/or violence are more likely to fear such incidents in the future. Therefore, participants who have been victims will have greater fear as measured by the FoHS. Fear of heterosexism is also associated with participants’ concealment of their sexual and/or gender identity and their level of social connectedness. Participants (N = 162) were recruited through a statewide online survey of experiences of heterosexist violence by Tasmania’s sexual and gender diverse communities. The survey data sought participants’ demographics, levels of fear in relation to heterosexist violence, and experiences of prejudice, discrimination and heterosexist violence in the last 12 months, over participants’ lifetime and the most significant incident of violence. Participants who experienced heterosexist violence reported higher scores on the FoHS. Respondents who had concealed their sexual /gender identity also recorded higher levels of fear. Participants who indicated a connectedness with community reported lower levels of fear of heterosexism. The findings highlight the importance of contextual factors in fear of heterosexism, and identify the critical roles that disclosure and social connectedness play in ameliorating the damaging effects of heterosexist victimization. These findings link to general fear-of-crime research and contribute to the growing literature on victimization and fear-of-crime. Further research is required with other LGBTIQ and marginalized communities to test the validity and reliability of the FoHS.