English Validation of a Short Scale Designed to Detect Negative Attitudes towards Trans People (EANT)

Abstract

Background: Negative attitudes towards sexual minorities are widespread in our society. The Scale of Negative Attitudes towards Transgender people (EANT) has been tested in Spanish-speaking countries in order to assess its applicability as a measure of harmful predispositions towards trans individuals. Understanding these predispositions is important because of transformations in the rights of people in terms of respect for gender diversity. (2) Methods: For the validation of this scale, an online survey was developed and distributed to 362 UK university students aged 18 to 45 years (M = 21.43, SD = 3.42). The sample was randomly divided in half, carrying out the exploratory factor analysis for the first 180 students and performing the confirmatory factor analysis for the remaining 182. (3) Results: The validation of this unifactorial instrument in English was obtained, with a high internal consistency (α = 0.810) that suggests high applicability to measuring this construct, as well as showing expected relationships with typical variables (HATH, TIBS, gender, sexual orientation, religion and education). (4) Conclusions: This study assesses attitudinal tendencies and reveals how sexual prejudice is still implicit in our societies and makes the stigmatisation and discrimination of trans people visible. These findings support the development of strategies to tackle these predispositions.