Judging Consent in Sexual Encounters: The Influence of Sexual Identity and Attitudes Toward Consent

Past literature on sexual consent has primarily focused on straight populations, finding significant differences in the consent behaviours and attitudes of men and women. While some literature suggests that sexual minority status is associated with more positive sexual attitudes, research conducted with lesbian, gay, and bisexual (LGB) samples is limited. The current study attempts to address this gap in knowledge, recruiting a sample of straight and LGB participants (N = 242) to explore differences in consent attitudes across sexual orientations. Participants read four staggered vignettes depicting ambiguous sexual encounters. Findings revealed significant differences in consent attitudes between straight and LGB participants. On average, straight participants had fewer positive attitudes about consent compared to LGB participants. Additionally, exploratory analyses found that bisexual participants consent attitudes were more predictive of their consent judgements across vignettes featuring different gender combinations, compared to both straight and gay/lesbian participants. These findings suggest that not only do attitudes toward sexual consent vary across sexual identities, but the extent to which these attitudes inform judgments about consent may also vary.