Sexual Orientation Stereotyping of Race Categories Referring to Men, and Vice Versa: An Intersectional Analysis in the Italian Context

We employed a multi-method approach to assess both stereotypes related to male race and male sexual orientation, and then analyzed how race stereotypes applied to sexual orientation categories and vice versa. Results from Study 1−3a-b (N = 552), along with internal meta-analyses, showed that White, Black, and Asian men were more strongly stereotyped as heterosexual than gay. This pattern was equally strong for White and Black men but weaker for Asian men. White men were more associated with heterosexual traits, while Black men were more perceived as lacking gay traits than the other race categories. Heterosexual men displayed a race-graded structure, favoring White over Black and then Asian traits. In contrast, the race-graded structure of gay men disfavored Black traits only, compared to White and Asian traits. The theoretical implications regarding the intersection of race and sexual orientation categories, as well as the social impact of these findings, are discussed.