Boy, please! Applying the contact hypothesis, imagined interaction theory and politeness theory to communication with gay individuals

This research looks at the acceptance or rejection of the gay population. Many factors determine an individual's acceptance or rejection, such as one's age, sex, education level, and interpersonal communication with gay people. The main theory used in this research is the contact hypothesis, stating that the more contact individuals have with a minority group, the more accepting those individuals are of that minority group. A survey was used to test the study's hypotheses and research questions. Results show that Republicans and males tend to be less accepting of gay people than Democrats, Independents and females. Also of importance, church attendance, church preference and individual perception of religion's influence on acceptance levels are significant. Finally, the more one interacts with gay people with a positive tone, the more accepting they are. Likewise, the more gay people they interact with and know personally, the more accepting they are.