The Face of Left-Wing Dissent: Progressives and Traditional Liberals Generate Divergently Negative and Positive Representations of J.K. Rowling

Recent perspectives have challenged the view that left-wingers are less likely to derogate out-group members. Building on research demonstrating heightened out-group derogation by Progressive (vs. Traditional Liberal) left-wingers, we examined whether Progressives and Traditional Liberals differentially tolerate in-group dissenters on the issue of gender identity. Using reverse correlation, Study 1 found that the Progressive-generated face of J.K. Rowling (a prominent gender critical left-winger) was evaluated negatively, while the Traditional Liberal-generated face was evaluated positively. Study 2 found that in both abstract (general description) and concrete (public figure) presentations, faces of left-wing in-group members expressing gender critical views were judged more negatively than self-identification faces, with Progressive-generated gender critical faces evaluated more negatively than Traditional Liberals-generated faces. Replicating Study 1, the Rowling face generated by Traditional Liberals was evaluated positively. These findings suggest an ideological asymmetry of derogation within left-wing kinds, offering evidence of opposing representations of a dissenting in-group target.