Abstract
This research tests whether self-labelling with a derogatory or reclaimed label is perceived as an act of reclamation. A pilot study (N = 102) identified English terms used to label lesbian women and gay men. The main study (N = 276) used a between-groups vignette design in which participants read about a woman/man self-labelling with a descriptive (lesbian/gay), reclaimed (queer), or derogatory group (dyke/fag) label. We assessed perceptions of the speaker (control/influence, agency, and efficacy) and group power, label offensiveness, and the likelihood of using the label in the future. Descriptive labels were perceived as less offensive and more likely to be used compared to reclaimed and derogatory labels. For gay men, using a derogatory label compared to other labels decreased perceived agency, but did not influence control/influence and efficacy. For lesbian women, there were no differences in perceptions of power depending on the label used.
| Translated title of the contribution | Användning och uppfattning av återtagna gruppbeteckningar för lesbiska kvinnor och gay män. |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Pages (from-to) | 326-352 |
| Number of pages | 27 |
| Journal | Journal of Language and Social Psychology |
| Volume | 43 |
| Issue number | 3 |
| Early online date | 2024 Feb 25 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 2024 |
Subject classification (UKÄ)
- Psychology (excluding Applied Psychology)
- Sociology (excluding Social Work, Social Anthropology, Demography and Criminology)
Free keywords
- Reclamation
- Derogatory group labels
- Sexual minorities
- Self-labelling
- Reappropriation
- Lesbian
- Gay
