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UNRVER GAY
Cred: Getty ImagHomophob should nsir a ltle self-reflectn, suggts a new study fdg those dividuals who are most hostile toward gays and hold strong anti-gay views may themselv have same-sex sir, albe unrver on.
The prejudice of homophobia may also stem om thorarian parents, particularly those wh homophobic views as well, the rearchers add. The rearch, published the April 2012 issue of the Journal of Personaly and Social Psychology, reveals the nuanc of prejudic like homophobia, which n ultimately have dire nsequenc.
"Sometim people are threatened by gays and lbians bee they are fearg their own impuls, a sense they 'doth prott too much, '" Ryan told LiveScience. Ryan utned, however, that this lk is only one source of anti-gay sentiments. For the implic measure, stunts had to tegorize words and pictur flashed onto a puter screen to "gay" or "straight" groups.
UNRVER GAY ED MEANG
Words clud "gay, " "straight, " "homosexual" and "heterosexual, " while the pictur showed straight and gay upl. The rearchers said quicker reactn time for "me" and "gay, " and a slower associatn of "me" wh "straight" would dite said an implic gay orientatn.
" To gge homophobia a hoehold, stunts rpond to ems such as, "It would be upsettg for my mom to fd out she was alone wh a lbian" or "My dad avoids gay men whenever possible. Participants dited their own level of homophobia, both overt and implic; word-pletn tasks, stunts wrote down the first three words that me to md when prompted wh some of the words' letters.
Stunts were primed at some pot wh the word "gay" to see how that impacted the amount of aggrsive words ed. "In a predomately heterosexual society, 'know thyself' n be a challenge for many gay dividuals, " lead thor Netta Weste, a lecturer at the Universy of Essex the Uned Kgdom, said a statement. "But ntrollg and homophobic hom, embracg a mory sexual orientatn n be terrifyg.
HOW DO YOU INTIFY AN UNRVER GAY MAN?
Those participants who reported their heterosexualy spe havg hidn same-sex sir were also the most likely to show hostily toward gay dividuals, cludg self-reported anti-gay attus, endorsement of anti-gay polici and discrimatn such as supportg harsher punishments for homosexuals. The rearch may help to expla the unrpngs of anti-gay bullyg and hate crim, the rearchers note. People nial about their own sexual orientatn, perhaps a nial fostered by thorarian and homophobic parents, may feel a threat om other gay and lbian dividuals.
This ner nflict n be seen some high-profile s which anti-gay public figur are ught engagg same-sex acts, the rearchers say.
For stance, evangelil preacher and anti-gay-marriage advote Ted Haggard was ught a gay sex sndal 2006.