BEHAVIORAL-ASPECTS OF HOMONEGATIVITY

The prevalence of anti-gay violence is a widespread problem calling fo r thorough study and effective solutions. Hudson and Ricketts (1980) v iewed homonegativity as composed of cognitive, affective, and behavior al aspects. Patel (1989) developed the Self Report of Behavior Scale ( SBS) to measure respondents' previous negative behaviors toward gay in dividuals. Other research using this scale has yielded useful informat ion, and further study is needed to refine the now-evolved scale (SBS- R). Participants in the present study were 264 college students who co mpleted the SBS-II, the Crowne-Marlowe Social Desirability Scale (CMSD S) and Hudson and Ricketts' Index of Altitudes Toward Homosexuals (IAH ). A factor analysis of the SBS-R yielded two factors: ''avoidance beh aviors'' and ''aggressive behaviors'' toward gays. High internal consi stency as well as construct validity for the SBS-R were found. This re liable and valid measure of self-reported anti-gay behaviors should he lp advance our understanding of the relationships among the affective, cognitive, and behavioral aspects of homonegativity.