Homophobes might be secretly attracted to the same sex, study finds

[Bela]

https://www.ibtimes.co.uk/articles/...bes-same-sex-gay-lesbian-attracted-people.htm

Researchers found that homophobic people are actually attracted to the same sex. They claim that these individuals risk losing the love and approval of their parents if they admit to same sex attractions, so many people deny or repress that part of them.

"In a predominately heterosexual society, 'know thyself' can be a challenge for many gay individuals. But in controlling and homophobic homes, embracing a minority sexual orientation can be terrifying," said Weinstein.

What are your thoughts on this? Is homophobia really a cover for one's own repressed homosexual tendencies?

 

[Cello]

I don't have a problem with gay people, but when a gay guy grabs my butt or something I get uncomfortable.
This means I like dudes? Or do I just accept the groping so i'm not gay?
I thought I liked women.

Maybe i'm just confused on what being a homophobe means. My head hurts.

 

[Mana1]

I don't have a problem with gay people, but when a gay guy grabs my butt or something I get uncomfortable.
This means I like dudes? Or do I just accept the groping so i'm not gay?
I thought I liked women.

Maybe i'm just confused on what being a homophobe means. My head hurts.

That's not being homophobic - if a woman you didn't find attractive groped you you would probably feel the same.



Whilst I have no doubt some people who are highly homophobic are infact hiding something, I'd say they are an extreme minority. Guys do often feel they have to be hypermasculine to be accepted by family and 'lads' friends, so I think homophobia often falls under that ~manly~ umbrella.

 

[TRIFORCE89]

Methinks that mostly applies to those who doth protest too much.

That wouldn't surprise me. But, I don't think it applies to all. There are those who deeply hate gay people, they just might not be loud about it.

I group homophobia and racism in the same category. I wouldn't say someone who is racist towards blacks is secretly black themself. Makes no sense.

 

[Yoshikkko]

^ Besides this, the thing of covering something or protecting ourselves from something by doing just that thing is a common phenomenon, not only with this. People who are afraid of being bullied, bully. It's just human nature, it's a defense mechanism, so it's natural for someone who is afraid of being judged for being gay/expressing it, or not content with being it, to protect themselves like that.

 

[Shiny Celebi]

This might be the case for some homophobic people who are afraid of being judged if they reveal that they are gay, but not everyone that is homophobic does this I dont think.

 

[Rudy]

in other news the sky is blue!!!

not all the time, of course. some people are just Rude. i usually see a lot of gay-bashing coming from people who are actually very gay themselves. its funny really but i guess its just a comfort when youre feeling insecure. a horrible comfort, but a comfort nonetheless.

i usually find that the homophobes i know are [aside from being very hateful of me!] just very clueless. cluelessness sometimes leads to curiosity, and the fear of that curiosity leads them to become a little more aggressive about it.

of course not all homophobes are so justifiable. some are just very horrible people! homophobia in general is silly, but of course, its also usually a cover-up for people feeling a little insecure themselves. they could at least find other ways to deal with that insecurity though......

 

[Bela]

I agree that this study's findings should not be taken to mean that, in all cases of homophobic individuals, you will find a closeted homosexual.

I feel that at the very least, the reporting on this study is extrapolating the findings to make this sweeping generalization.

 

[GN]

Researchers found that homophobic people are actually attracted to the same sex.

This is an overstatement.
The actual study was done with 64 male college students, 35 of which were homophobes. If all of the homophobes were actually gay, I think you'd find a whole lot more gay people around in the world... or at the very least bisexuals, which I don't think there are so many of either. I might be wrong on this one though, but I find the actual numbers pretty odd... and statistics doesn't lie.

 

[Esper]

The study didn't conclude that homophobe = secretly-self-hating-gay.

Homophobia is more pronounced in individuals with an unacknowledged attraction to the same sex and who grew up with authoritarian parents who forbade such desires, a series of psychology studies demonstrates.

(emphasis added by me)

It says that secretly-self-hating-gays are going to be generally louder about their homophobia. It doesn't mean that all loudly homophobic people are going to be gay (but that's where I'd look first if you ask me).

Homophobia isn't quite the same as racism. There's an element of a perceived threat to one's gender identity where someone can't quite get their head around the idea of a man being the object of attract by another man without thinking of that act "feminizing" the man. Racism is more general hatred, I would presume.