In 2018, decriminalizing consensual homosexuality through the scrapping of section 377 from the Indian Penal Code undoubtedly marked a milestone in India’s history of the LGBTQ movement. However, one may debate whether this legal change reflects a transformation at the societal level in terms of positive attitudes towards homosexuality. The current study examines the effects of multiple anteceding factors (parents’ education, acceptability of homosexuality among the friends, frequency of LGBTQ-related conversations within the family, having a friend from the LGBTQ community, having fandom to LGBTQ celebrity, religiosity, and just-world belief) in determining the attitudes towards homosexuality among engineering students. A survey-based quantitative study empirically tested the relationship between the variables. The result revealed a sex difference in attitude towards homosexuality, where female heterosexual engineering students have a significantly higher positive attitude towards homosexuality than male heterosexual students. Moreover, friends’ acceptability of homosexuality, just-world belief, mother’s education level, and having a fandom to LGBTQ celebrities significantly predict attitude towards homosexuality among the participants (p<.05). However, religiosity is not a significant predictor of students’ attitudes towards homosexuality. Attitudes towards homosexuality, in turn, predict a person’s reaction (positive/ negative/ neutral) to LGBTQ celebrities’ coming-out.

2018 年，废除《印度刑法》第 377 条，将双方同意的同性恋合法化，这无疑标志着印度 LGBTQ 运动史上的一个里程碑。然而，人们可能会争论这一法律变化是否反映了社会层面对同性恋的积极态度的转变。目前的研究考察了多种先行因素的影响（父母的教育程度、朋友对同性恋的接受程度、家庭中与 LGBTQ 相关的对话频率、有来自 LGBTQ 社区的朋友、对 LGBTQ 名人的狂热、宗教信仰，以及只是-world belief）决定工科学生对同性恋的态度。基于调查的定量研究通过实证检验了变量之间的关系。结果揭示了对同性恋态度的性别差异，女性异性恋工科学生对同性恋的积极态度明显高于男性异性恋学生。此外，朋友对同性恋的接受度、正义世界的信念、母亲的教育水平以及对 LGBTQ 名人的狂热显着预测了参与者对同性恋的态度 (p<.05)。然而，宗教信仰并不是学生对同性恋态度的重要预测因素。反过来，对同性恋的态度可以预测一个人对 LGBTQ 名人出柜的反应（积极/消极/中立）。此外，朋友对同性恋的接受度、正义世界的信念、母亲的教育水平以及对 LGBTQ 名人的狂热显着预测了参与者对同性恋的态度 (p<.05)。然而，宗教信仰并不是学生对同性恋态度的重要预测指标。反过来，对同性恋的态度可以预测一个人对 LGBTQ 名人出柜的反应（积极/消极/中立）。此外，朋友对同性恋的接受度、正义世界的信念、母亲的教育水平以及对 LGBTQ 名人的狂热显着预测了参与者对同性恋的态度 (p<.05)。然而，宗教信仰并不是学生对同性恋态度的重要预测指标。反过来，对同性恋的态度可以预测一个人对 LGBTQ 名人出柜的反应（积极/消极/中立）。