However, when stereotypes are used in social interactions, it can lead to prejudice. For example, if I see an animal, it helps to know that it belongs to the category cats and based on what is stereotypical for cats (purrs if satisfied, arches back if angry) I can interpret its mood state. Stereotypes help us navigate the world, as they allow us to use information about a category to make sense of individual things. Stereotypes in itself are not necessarily bad. Here, we present a content analysis of programs that are on Dutch television and a survey on the link between exposure to these programs and people's attitudes towards and views of LGBs. It may be that the Dutch media landscape is less stereotypical and therefore the Dutch hold more positive attitudes. The Netherlands are especially interesting to study because Dutch people have the most positive attitude towards lesbians, gays, and bisexuals (LGBs) of the whole EU (Gerhards, 2010). In the current study, we will investigate whether the Dutch media landscape can be linked to attitudes Dutch people have about LGBs. Because these stereotypes defy gender norms (women are supposed to be feminine and men are supposed to be masculine) they can cause negative attitudes towards LGBs (Blashill & Powlishta, 2009b). Most stereotypes about lesbians are about them having masculine characteristics and most stereotypes about gay men are about them having feminine characteristics (Blashill & Powlishta, 2009a). These stereotypes subsequently shape our attitudes and view of reality (Morgan et al., 2009). Repeated media exposure makes certain characteristics more available in our memory and hereby create stereotypes. This provides reason to believe that people gain information and create attitudes about homosexuality through the media (Calzo & Ward, 2009). Controversial topics like homosexuality may cause shame and discomfort when discussed with peers or parents.
Adolescents, for example, indicate the media as their top source of sexual information (Brown et al., 2005). Media especially influence our view on subjects that we have little experience with (Morgan et al., 2009). Cultivation theory states that repeated exposure to a system of messages can influence people's attitudes and views of reality. There are many stereotypes about homosexuality that gay men and lesbians are confronted with in their daily life and the media play an important role in forming these stereotypes. A mediation analysis showed that people who watch more television in general have a more stereotypical view of gay men, which is related to more negative attitudes towards LGBs. A survey among 272 participants showed that people who more frequently watch programs with stereotypical portrayals of LGBs do not have a more positive or negative attitude than people who do not. A content analysis showed that there are stereotypical representations on Dutch television but there are also people who ‘just happen to be gay’. Because the Dutch culture is relatively accepting of LGBs it is interesting to see if they are portrayed differently than in the U.S. These portrayals are both negatively and positively related to people’s attitude towards LGBs. contain many stereotypical portrayals of LGBs. Previous research shows that television programs in the U.S. This study investigates stereotypical portrayals of lesbians, gays, and bisexuals (LGBs) on Dutch television and whether these portrayals relate to people’s attitudes towards LGBs.