Are Homophob Really Gay? | Psychology Today

Contents:

• ARE HOMOPHOB REALLY GAY?
• ARE HOMOPHOBIC PEOPLE REALLY GAY AND NOT ACCEPTG IT?
• STUDY FDS THAT HOMOPHOBIC PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY MORE LIKELY TO BE GAY
• HOMOPHOBIC PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY MORE LIKELY TO BE GAY, ACRDG TO REARCH

ARE HOMOPHOB REALLY GAY?

Dpe recent gas gay civil rights, cludg the recent US Supreme Court lgs on marriage, the overturng of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell, ” as well as the legalizatn of same-sex marriage many foreign untri, homophobia is alive and well both here and abroad. Homosexualy is still a punishable offense many natns and some is punishable by ath. There is good evince to suggt that relig affiliatn, culture, and beliefs about sex rol n ntribute to one’s feelgs of homophobia.

Recently Print Vladmir Put signed an anti-propoganda law that rulted the recent arrts of several gay Dutch tourists and may give police the right to arrrt anyone who portrays homosexuay posively cludg LGBT teachers and parents (). Is a homophobic dividual like Put along wh his supporters, possibly harborg same-sex attractns?

Is exprsed hatred or revulsn toward gay people a suatn about which Shakpeare would say: “Methks he doth prott too much? In a 1993 study, levels of homophobia were asssed among 64 men along wh their sexual aroal (measured by creas penile circumference) rponse to erotic vios of heterosexual, same-sex female, and same-sex male enunters.

ARE HOMOPHOBIC PEOPLE REALLY GAY AND NOT ACCEPTG IT?

Those who sred high on homophobia were more likely to also manift sexual aroal rponse to the vios of male homosexual enunters.

* In a more recent study was found that men raised thorative hoeholds were more likely to reprs same-sex attractns and to exhib more hostily to gay people. Ee Griffh, a recently ceased welterweight and middleweight champn, pummeled an opponent to ath after he had lled him an anti-gay slur, Griffh ntug to punch him the head well after he had clearly won the fight. Though he nied he was gay or bisexual at that time, later his life Griffh admted to havg had affairs wh several men cludg a male partner who red for him up until his ath.

Add this anecdote to several others cludg that of right wg polician Larry Craig, who pled guilty to lewd behavr toward other men an airport bathroom but who also champned anti-gay legislatn durg his polil reer, and Ted Haggard, lear of the famoly anti-gay Natnal Associatn of the Evangelils, who rigned after was disvered he was engagg male prostut. As stated prevly, there are over a half a dozen untri, cludg Iran and Sdi Arabia where homosexual ntact is punishable by ath and many whose ernments penalize such behavr wh harsh prison sentenc. However, Iran has a flourishg unrground gay society and Pakistanis have been found to be the most equent Googlers of gay porn.

STUDY FDS THAT HOMOPHOBIC PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY MORE LIKELY TO BE GAY

An acquatance of me who is a flight attendant and a gay male will attt that when he viss the homophobic untri, he is equently approached by men for sex hotels, gym snas, parks and certa streets. So spe the obstacl of profoundly punive laws and homophobic cultur, same-sex sexual behavr nnot be pletely nstraed—and this has been known for a long time. It will only lead to shame and reprsn, which turn will ntribute to an ongog cycle of homophobia, anti-gay vlence, and, of urse, signifint personal sufferg.

A seri of studi recently published the prtig Journal of Personaly and Social Psychology found higher levels of homophobia dividuals wh unacknowledged attractns to the same sex, particularly when they grew up wh thorarian parents who also held homophobic attus.

HOMOPHOBIC PEOPLE ARE ACTUALLY MORE LIKELY TO BE GAY, ACRDG TO REARCH

In the Universy of Rochter's prs release, Netta Weste, the study's lead thor, said, "Individuals who intify as straight but psychologil tts show a strong attractn to the same sex may be threatened by gays and lbians bee homosexuals remd them of siar tennci wh themselv.

Attus towards gay and lbian people are an important part of current polil issu like the legaly of same-sex marriage and employment nondiscrimatn.

Acrdg to the team of rearchers, this study is the first to document the role that both parentg and sexual orientatn play the formatn of anti-gay attus, cludg self-reported homophobic attus, discrimatory bias, implic hostily towards gays, and endorsement of anti-gay polici.