Saying that rancid homophobes were often gay themselves was once a just anecdotal supposition, and a great irony that befell the likes of like Larry Craig, Ted Haggard, George Rekers, and so on.
Now a study from Richard Ryan, professor of clinical and social psychology at the University of Rochester, says that people who identify as very heterosexual (and very anti-gay) often tend to have unexpressed homosexual tendencies.
The findings provide new empirical evidence to support the psychoanalytic theory that the fear, anxiety, and aversion that some seemingly heterosexual people hold toward gays and lesbians can grow out of their own repressed same-sex desires, Ryan says…
The findings may help to explain the personal dynamics behind some bullying and hate crimes directed at gays and lesbians, the authors argue. Media coverage of gay-related hate crimes suggests that attackers often perceive some level of threat from homosexuals. People in denial about their sexual orientation may lash out because gay targets threaten and bring this internal conflict to the forefront, the authors write.
Four separate experiments were conducted in the United States and Germany, drawing on a total of about 640 college students—a good sample size.
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Is it good to have science confirm what a lot of us already expected—that the anti-gay bullies really just want to make sweet, sweet love to their gay targets?
Cam
No surprise there. Nice to have science backing up what we all already knew.
Mike
Hi Rick………
scott ny'er
seriously, just look at the catholic church. And then the lawsuits. Probably because they repressed their true feelings and then take a very anti-gay stance.
1equalityUSA
Saddleback syndrome
James
@scott ny’er: They think god and religion will cure them of their homosexuality.
Nathan
To be a little critical of the study’s methods, all of the measures of sexual attraction were pretty indirect. I don’t think the conclusions are new to anybody and the conclusions are similar to other studies that have more direct measure of desire and arousal.
Jimmy-Joe-Steve
That’s reaction formation for ya
Alexi3
It’s always a little sad and a little frightening when something you always assumed to be true turns out to be so.
indiancowboy
Though it may be a valid point, it can’t really be used in debates etc. as it will be too hard for people to “defend” themselves against such an accusation (as they would see it) and it may even gain them some sympathy among “the neutral public” who cannot so easily detect the truth about someone’s sexuality (because they don’t have a gaydar:-) I mean there will also be heterosexuals who oppose gay rights, so it will be a bit “unfair” to generally assume that they are all gay. Still, I have enough personal experience that points me to agree with the general conclusion of the study.
Cam
@indiancowboy:
Oh please, every single time some new piece of proof comes out supporting gays, gay rights etc… there is always somebody coming on here trying to say that we can’t use that information.
James M. Martin
Whatever you do, do NOT send this article to the Family Research Council. There, Tony (the PAC Man, not the actor) Perkins will see it and fire back at you, saying it is part of the gay agenda to spread such ludicrous propaganda, and that Dr. Marcus Bachmann, Scott Lively, and others are successfully treating homos to make them straight, the way God intended them. (If you do not see the fallaciousness in that, I give up.) I have always said that if Freud was spot right about any one thing it was his theory of projection. By this process, one shoves away one’s own secret-most traits so that everyone else who exhibit them (and plenty of men who don’t) become the object of derision. The Tony Perkinses of this world can only rely upon Judeo-Christian dogma to support the position taken by the FRC (now on the Southern Poverty Law Center’s list of Hate Groups, by the way): I hate because the Bible tells me so. If that sounds like the line from a Sunday song, it should: “Yes, Jesus loves me,” &c. If there really was a person we now call Jesus (Reb Yeshua?), he would love, too. And he would love EVERYBODY. Isn’t that why he supposedly came in the first place?
Steve
@James M. Martin: I don’t think there is really any doubt at all, that Tony Perkins of the FRC, is gay. The only person in the world who doesn’t know it is, Tony Perkins.
Steve
@scott ny’er: A friend of mine, who used to be a Catholic priest, and who now works for MCC, has told me a number of times: When he meets a priest, he assumes that the priest is gay until he learns otherwise. Most are.
The Bishops are the only ones who don’t know it.
pastol
Did Evan just wake up from a fifteen year coma? This duplicates the finding of a similar study done by Adams, Wright & Bethany in 1995, yet no mention of that. Published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology (1996, Vol. 105, No. 3,440-445) it is titled “Is Homophobia Associated With Homosexual Arousal?” I thought every gay person in civilized society knew about that. I guess there is goodness in that the original is confirmed.
1equalityUSA
John Boehner makes my skin crawl. Does that mean I secretly want to be a republican? ow. He makes my gaydar go into the red when I see him and his ever-lasting tan. The tanner he becomes, the greener his ties. Every time he sports wood…i mean… a tan, the green ties come out. He is so homophobic. He and that NOM-skull “Robby” George likely get together over hand-wrung juice and plot their revenge against all that their subconscious can’t reconcile. I also suspect early stages of alzheimer’s due to the uncontrolled emotional crying jags. The dude is conflicted.
1equalityUSA
http://thenewcivilrightsmovement.com/john-boehner-signals-intent-to-destroy-gay-rights-around-the-world/politics/2012/03/31/37294
1equalityUSA
The above link will give you the capacity to sign the petition against having Robert P. George appointed to International Religious freedom position the Boehner is trying to give to him. There’s also a scathing article about this Princeton Professor who is the brains behind NOM. He thinks gay people should be punished. John Boenher wants this man to work his anti-gay magic around the world. I highly recommend that each person read about this clown and sign the petition. You’ll need to sign up for an account with the White House link, then go to your email to click the link sent after signing in. Then sign the petition. We need 25,000 and we’re at 24, 533. We cannot let Robby NOM-skull George spread his anti-gay message.
dodgy
@Nathan: I agree, the methods used to indicate unacknowledged homosexuality, whilst presumably perfectly valid, do seem easy to disregard by those who would choose to do so (such as those whom the study wishes to identify).
One might very well wonder why plethysmography wasn’t used instead (it has been before, in similar studies), though it likely would reduce cohort size and would take a lot of time and money getting past ethics committees, being, in essence, a medical procedure
KyleW
Well I have to admit, I am very surprised by this. I had always assumed that that accusation was nothing more than adolescent wish fulfilment. It’s certainly gratifying.
olen
The title of this article is misleading. That’s NOT WHAT HE MEANS AT ALL.
Mouse
Are you hearing this, Artie Lange?
MKisNE
yeah i dated one of these head cases once. er i thought we were dating he thought we were sinning.
J
I completelyty disagree with all these! I’m gay and anti-lesbian.What does that make me? A closeted lesbian tranny?