The legal recognition achieved by the LGBTIQ+ community in most Western countries has not been reflected in the improvement of their integration into society (De Witte et al., 2019). In fact, with noteworthy frequency, members of this collective are subject to exclusionary and discriminatory practices in multiple facets of their lives. Thus, it is possible to note the various difficulties they experience at the occupational, family, social or educational level (Bayrakdar & King, 2023). The result of this situation is the emergence of the term “LGBTI-phobia”, which refers to the attitudes of rejection and discrimination experienced by people who are part of this collective and which have serious consequences for their complete vital development (Aguirre et al., 2021).

Higher Education institutions are not free from this type of prejudice either. In fact, the existence of such attitudes among university students is a matter of growing interest among the scientific community (Silver & Krietzberg, 2023). Thus, it has been shown that, despite the existence of a greater awareness of affective-sexual diversity, students belonging to the LGBTIQ+ collective are often victims of subtle and indirect rejection by their peers and professors (Arslantas et al., 2022). Even in some cases, the existence of insults, harassment and aggressions has been revealed, which are very rarely reported for fear of reprisals and/or lack of institutional support (Dueñas et al., 2021; Gallardo-Nieto et al., 2021). In this sense, it cannot be ignored that the presence of this type of attitudes and prejudices among future professionals constitutes an element that clearly favors the perpetuation of the exclusion and marginalization experienced by LGBTIQ+ people (Ferfolja et al., 2020). It has also been found that attitudes of rejection are more frequent among male students, those of older age and those who do not receive training in affective-sexual diversity in their degree (Ardman et al., 2021; Rodríguez, 2017). Thus, it has been found that those who study Medicine have a more negative position than those who study other degrees such as Nursing (Török et al., 2022). Nevertheless, more comparative studies are still needed in this area to identify the differences that exist according to the fields of knowledge. Based on this, and in order to contribute to the improvement of LGBTIQ+ integration in Higher Education institutions, the present study aimed to: (1) identify and analyze the attitudes of university students in the Social and Legal Sciences and STEM areas towards the LGBTIQ+ collective; (2) compare these attitudes according to the disciplinary area studied.

To achieve these objectives, the non-experimental method was used, and a descriptive and comparative analysis was carried out. The study involved the participation of 891 undergraduate, graduate and doctoral students at the University of Alicante (Spain). Of these, 450 were studying for a degree in Social and Legal Sciences. The sample, of a non-probabilistic nature, was formed employing available sampling. Regarding the sociodemographic profile of the sample, 94.4% identified themselves as cisgender, 52.7% were aged between 21-30 years, and 82.2% were studying for a degree. Data were collected using the Multidimensional Scale of Attitudes toward Lesbians and Gays (Gato et al., 2014) and the adaptation of the Transgender Attitudes and Beliefs Scale (TABS) to the Spanish context (López-Sáez et al., 2022). The first, composed of 27 items organized into 4 dimensions —Rejection of proximity, Pathologization of homosexuality, Modern heterosexism, and Support—, aims to identify attitudes towards gay and lesbian people. The second is composed of 29 items structured in 3 factors —Interpersonal comfort, Human value, and Beliefs regarding gender identity—. In this case, the objective is to identify attitudes towards the trans community. In both cases, the response options range from 1 (Strongly disagree) to 6 (Strongly agree). To these items, 4 closed questions were added to collect sociodemographic information (gender, age, level of studies and area of knowledge to which the studies belonged). Cronbach’s coefficient analysis of both instruments yielded a remarkable reliability index (α = .94 and α = .96, respectively). To facilitate the dissemination, completion and processing of the data, the final instrument was constructed using Google Forms. After approval of the study by the Ethics Committee of the University of Alicante, the institution was asked for a distribution list of student e-mail addresses. The questionnaire was sent by e-mail. The e-mail informed of the purpose of the study, the voluntary nature of participation, and the anonymity and confidentiality of the data provided. The data were collected during the first semester of the 2022-2023 academic year. These were collected during the first semester of the 2022-2023 academic year. The data collected were processed and analyzed using SPSS version 25 software, which was used to carry out a descriptive and comparative analysis. When identifying possible differences, the lack of normality in the responses —assessed by the Kolmogorov-Smirnov test (p < .05)— led to the use of the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U statistical test.

According to the results, the total sample showed a priori a positive attitude towards gender minorities. Among other aspects, the students did not mind that their friends belonged to the LGBTIQ+ community, believed that they could be good parents, and rejected discrimination against the collective. Consistent with this, the participants were in favor of the struggle and defense of LGBTIQ+ rights, and strongly affirmed that a course on sexual education should include all sexual orientations. Despite this, some stereotypical beliefs were present in their responses, such as, for example, the predisposition to think of people of the opposite sex when talking about romantic relationships. As for the comparative analysis, some significant differences were noted. In most cases, these were in favor of STEM students, who showed more negative and hostile attitudes towards the LGBTIQ+ collective. Among other aspects, STEM students believed more than their Social and Legal Sciences counterparts that being male or female depends on external genitalia, that all adults have to identify as male or female, and that the celebration of Gay Pride is a ridiculous claim. In view of these results, we conclude the need to design training actions to deconstruct the stereotypical beliefs of university students about gender minorities. In addition, it is necessary for Higher Education institutions to integrate contents related to affective-sexual education in their curricula in a cross-cutting manner. The implementation of this type of measures will favor the gender culture of university students and, in this way, will advance towards the full integration of the LGBTIQ+ collective in society.

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