Date Approved

2014

Date Posted

4-22-2014

Degree Type

Open Access Senior Honors Thesis

Department or School

Psychology

First Advisor

Natalie Dove

Abstract

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals are affected by stigma in the workplace, health-care settings, their families, and their communities. Some people believe that being LGB or Tis unnatural. LGBT individuals are commonly stigmatized, which makes them feel rejected and disrespected for who they are. The purpose of this study is to investigate the impact of Eastern Pride & Identity Coalition (EPIC) panels on the LGBT-related attitudes of students at EMU. EPIC is a group of students, faculty, staff, and community members who serve as a panel of individuals and go into classrooms to talk about their own experiences in the LGBT community. What is currently unclear is how these panels influence students' attitudes toward LGBT populations. To discern this I developed a survey that measures LGBT-related attitude change. Students whose classes scheduled an EPIC panel presentation completed the surveys online both before and after they saw the EPIC panel. It was hypothesized that EPIC panels have a positive impact on students' attitudes toward LGBT individuals. The results indicated a significant change in attitude over time, which indicates that attitudes were more favorable after intervention. It was also hypothesized that the attitude toward LGBT individuals would be more positive based on the composition of the panel. The results indicated that the composition of the panel does not increase participants' attitude change toward a particular subgroup. The results of this work should have repercussions for the reduction of stigmatization and acceptance of LGBT individuals by members of the community who might not have contact with such populations.

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