Hello everyone, I found this interesting article while browsing around today: Study Reveals Homophobic Men Are, In Fact, More Likely To Be Gay Do you think people who are homophobic are being homophobic as a defence mechanism to repress or "shield away" their own same sex attractions? We live in a society where there are gender roles that people are supposed to follow and we are taught that we are wrong for not conforming to said gender role. Obviously being gay or having an attraction towards the same sex goes against our socially constructed gender roles. We also know that sexuality isn't black and white and very few people are really 100% straight or gay and can appreciate the beauty of both genders at the very least. My question is do you think some of the homophobia in the world is actually based off people being afraid of liking the same sex or because they have repressed homosexual desires? I know much of homophobia is also stemmed from religion and hate in general is learned, but what are your thoughts on this?
I'm sure that's true for some people, but not all. To me it seems like most people who are homophobic are that way because they were raised to be (ie parental beliefs, religion, society at the time).I'm sure in that category there are definitely people who are gay but refuse it and hide their feelings.
Agreed I think it's true to an extent and explains some homophobia, but things like religion and upbringing also play a role. But I do think that there are more people who at the very least have had same sex attractions than we think!
Agreed. Some people are homophobic simply because they don't understand what being gay is. My parents grew up in the 1960s and 70s in a backwater town where gay people "did not exist" so I'm sure that explains why they find it both bizarre and 'ungodly' and try to stay away from it. But then there are other people who go out of their way to bash LGBTQ people whenever they can. They're the ones who are probably trying to repress that part of themselves by projecting that hate onto others (i.e. Ted Haggard, George Rekers, etc.)
^Agreed. Also I think that it's a part of human nature that we find both genders attractive to a certain extent. For example, I'm gay and would never have sex with a woman but I'd be lying if I didn't think some women were attractive. Doesn't make me straight but I think we all feel that way towards people regardless of their gender. For some homophobes, I do think that they are afraid of admitting that they find members of the same sex attractive at times or worse, they're afraid they'd like it, or even worse they do like it but don't want to accept it. That explains why some of the most homophobic countries have the most google searches for gay porn xD
It's the ones who are *constantly* bringing gay-related topics up that make me wonder, not your average ignorant person who is either neutral or mildly disapproving. There was one guy in high school who was always accusing people of being gay, discussing these completely bizarre homosexual scenarios, and bragging about what girl he slept with the night before, and while I just thought, "asshole" then, I wouldn't put the possibility of him being a closet case aside today.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AEuDDvqYbVw This is a very interesting video, and there has been many studies done that have found out that the majority of homophobic males are indeed stimulated sexually by erotic gay images. It's not even a small percentage. This goes further than religious upbringings and society, I believe that they are actually dealing with inner dealings of denial.
While that may be the case for the most hard-core homophobic individuals, I think most people let homophobic statements fly to protect their egos. Homosexuality is generally seen as a negative (especially among males) and thus being associated with or accused of being one is seen as an insult. I've seen a few conversations in which statements bordered along homophobic because I guy's masculinity was at risk of coming into question.
The only part I disagree with is the theory that stimulation automatically = attraction, desire, etc. That test scientists conducted in 2005, where male orientation was determined by reactions to various types of porn videos pretty much flies in the face of so many of the later in life type members we have here who have been able to become aroused around the opposite sex, perform, and even enjoy acts, to some extent. I've gotten boners while taking cold showers, waking up in the morning, and even being touched a certain way. I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this. Same thing could be said of heart rate, blood pressure, and whatnot. So no, I won't say *most" homophobes are closet cases or in-denial. If that were the case, over half the male populations of certain countries would be.
Yes, its true for some people, but its not wise to make it a blanket statement. There are so many reasons why people are gay, straight, homophobic or anything else. That's just one, and it is an excellent point.
First ever EC post! Anyways...The first thing that pops into my head when someone makes an homophobic remark /statement is this lol. If s/he is generally insulting and bashing gays than i guarantee you he is gay, especially when they know your gay. Actually had this happen to me once. Dude was completely homophobic, and still is, but i managed to talk him into sending some nudes and still to this day i randomly get them lol. Talk about denial.... I take it like that middle school thing we did that when we liked someone we would insult or play pranks on them. However, If they are showing more ignorance and religion that its less lucky repression. Oh this is within the confines of LGBT tolerant areas too! Africa and the middle east is crazy.
Also you guys: attraction and desires aren't the same thing, I think it's normal for people to be attracted to people of both gender groups, that doesn't necessitate sexual orientation however, for example I identify as gay but I can't deny that I find some women attractive. Doesn't mean I'd sleep with them. What I was going for with this thread is that even people who identify as heterosexual find members of the same sex attractive but are too afraid of being labelled that they may act out with homophobia as a defence mechanism and others may actually be sexually attracted to the same sex (to whatever extent) and respond with homophobia for the same reasons.
I am not at all surprised at the findings, but I doubt that being homophobic will always mean that that person is a closeted gay. You really do have to wonder with the people who seem obsessively driven to prove their "straightness" as well as with the ones who seem just as obsessive about the topic. They eat, sleep, and breath making an anti-gay statement. Yesterday, I was watching a video on Belarus and how it is considered to be the last dictatorship in Europe. Anyway, the leader of Belarus was being a asked a question, I think it might have had something to do with his fascination of Ice hockey. When, out of the blue, this guy starts going on about how at least he wasn't gay and starts chuckling. Okay… That had absolutely nothing to do with the subject. It was so weird. I am just reminded of this boy who was in one of my summer camp groups. Oh boy! I'm telling you this guy was obsessed with the gay subject. Every sentence had something to do with variations on the word "faggot". It got so excessive that even our religious and non-gay friendly counselor had to threaten to send to the trailer if he didn't stop. He went but he still kept doing it afterwards.
Yeah, no. This study proves nothing for me. They only tested 64 straight white men... And because I'm lazy I'll just quote some other people: Source: Homophobes Are All Secretly Gay - Wonkman And this one is important: Source: | Why You Need To Quit Calling Homophobes Closet Cases. Yes, I know in some cases it's true. Some homophobes do turn out to be gay. I just think it's important to keep these things in mind before you excuse straight people and yell ~*homophobes are gay!1!!*~
A lot homophobes sure do obsess over gays quite a bit -- now don't they? If they are so repulsed by gays, why spend hours delving into the lifestyles of gays? Some homophobes know more about gays than I do. They are just not very pleasant people -- who would even want to be around them? Except other homophobes. Would a gay person even want one of these miserable creatures? I imagine a lot of them looking like Mr Whipple. A lot of them do seem to be married -- and most don't seem very happy. Sex life not fulfilling, so they get some vicarious thrill by sneaking a peak at gays, so to speak. Maybe they envy gays and their uninhibited approach to relationships. A lot of homophobes seem to be very inhibited because of their rigid religious beliefs. And many do come from the ranks of the low income/least educated -- and a lot of those types need to demonize one group of people to feel better about themselves. But I don't feel sorry for them because they demand that gays to be completely celibate. And even if gays were celibate, they would not approve of gays anyway.
