<p>This study assesses the effects of positive imagined contact on homonegativity, positive affect, and contact intention toward gay and lesbian people among heterosexual youth. It also analyzes the mediational effects of symbolic intergroup threat, intergroup disgust, and empathy. The data were collected between April and June 2019. A total of 160 heterosexual young adults (50% male) were randomly distributed to one of four intervention groups: positive imagined contact with a gay man, with a lesbian, a neutral imagery group, or a control group. After the intervention, all participants completed a questionnaire. The hypotheses were tested based on a 4 × 2x2 mixed factorial design, using multivariate analysis of variance and path analysis. Despite expectations, positive imagined contact did not reduce sexual prejudice compared to the control group. However, nuanced results emerged when the symbolic intergroup threat was included as a mediator in the analysis. Among women who engaged in positive imagined contact with a lesbian, reductions in homonegativity and enhancements in positive affect were noted, mediated by decreased symbolic intergroup threat. This mediating effect was absent in scenarios involving gay men, where the intervention unexpectedly led to a decrease in positive affect. The poor replicability of the positive imagined contact effects assessed in this study, as well as the results misaligned with the imagined contact hypothesis, are discussed in light of contact theory and the literature on sexual prejudice. Developing personalized intervention programs that consider gender and sexual orientation differences is crucial to improving relations between heterosexuals and LGBT + individuals.</p>