Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between psychological androgyny in males and females and tolerance/intolerance toward individuals who had completed sexual transformation (postoperative transsexuals) and were using the rest room facilities of their reassigned sex. Eighty students from various introductory classes at Ball State University were administered the Bem Sex Role Inventory to determine levels of androgyny. Several days later, subjects were asked to describe the appearance of an individual who they were led to believe was a postsurgical transsexual in an effort to establish tolerance levels. Subjects were compared to an independant control population which responded to a "normal" (as compared to transsexual) cue. Chi-Square tests were used to determine if tolerance/intolerance levels were significant for the various groups. Results indicated a significant relationship between significantly sexed individuals and tolerance levels when compared to the control group. No other androgyny level exhibited a significant relationship. There were no significant sex differences with respect to intolerance of postsurgical transsexuals.
