Effects of Humor and Bystander Gender on Responses to Antigay Harassment

Bibliographic Data

ID7315401
AuthorsJennifer Katz (0000-0002-6740-5040, SUNY Geneseo, corresponding author), Dillon J Federici (Oklahoma State University), Dillon Federici (Oklahoma State University), Dominique Brown (0000-0002-5962-696X, SUNY Geneseo)
Year2021
Volume69
Issue6
Pages947-966
Publication date2021-03-29
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueJournal of Homosexuality (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0091-8369 • E-ISSN: 1540-3602
PublisherTaylor & Francis (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/00918369.2021.1898804
PMID33779523
OpenAlexW3148977713
LanguageEN
Citations received3
References cited46

Individuals perceived to be LGBTQ+ are at risk for harassment. Although bystanders who confront harassers and support targets of harassment may promote inclusivity, the use of humor to express antigay harassment may inhibit prosocial bystander intervention. Non-LGBTQ+ undergraduates (N = 326) were randomly assigned to respond to a scenario in which a male peer disparaged another peer with antigay comments involving either the presence or absence of humor. Results showed that bystanders reported less intent to intervene in the presence of humor than in its absence. Bystander gender moderated perceptions of humorous harassing speech but not intent to intervene. In the presence of humor, men but not women perceived antigay harassment as more amusing; they also perceived the harassing peer more favorably. To promote ally behavior, bystander education may explicitly address critical thinking about the functions and effects of disparaging humor

Bystander effect · Harassment · Intervention (counseling · Perception · Prosocial behavior · Bullying, Victimization, and Aggression · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Humor Studies and Applications · Psychology · Social Psychology

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