Homophobe? You're most likely gay.

**Milkster** · 2012-04-09 07:50

The claim that homophobic people are in secret attracted to members of their own sex, though they refuse to admit as much, will receive support from a series of psychological studies to be published later this month.
According to research to be published in Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, scientists across New York, Essex and California have found evidence that gay men and lesbians remind homophobes of themselves, causing an aversive reaction and instilling fear. The study also claims that the root of the problem lies in the homophobic attitudes in which they were brought up as a child.
The study involved four different experiments, each using 160 students in the US and Germany, and measured differences between self-reports concerning sexuality compared to how the subjects reacted during a time-controlled task where they had to look at images and words associated with homo- or heterosexuality.
The second part of the experiment involved subject histories on family upbringing, after which they were invited to look at pictures of gay or straight couples. Then, levels of homophobia were measured both consciously and sub-consciously.
The authors of the study say that their findings might help explain why so much of bullying and hate crime is directed against LGBT people. Some homophobes who have not reconciled themselves to their true sexuality may feel the urge to hit out at gay people, who they fear might bring their repressed desires to the surface

A new study published in the April issue of Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests people with an intense hostility toward homosexuals may be linked to a repressed same-sex attraction, combined with an authoritarian upbringing.
Study co-author and University of Rochester psychology professor Richard Ryan said: "People who have a discrepancy within themselves about their expressed vs. unconscious sexual attraction find gay and lesbian people more threatening and are more likely to express prejudice and discrimination toward them."
His co-author Netta Weintstein, of the University of Essex, added: "Individuals who identify as straight but in psychological tests show a strong attraction to the same sex may be threatened by gays and lesbians because homosexuals remind them of similar tendencies within themselves."
The study subjects were four groups of about 160 college students each, in the USA and Germany. They rated the attractiveness of people in same-sex or opposite-sex photos and answered questions about the type of parenting they experienced growing up, from authoritarian to democratic, as well as homophobia at home.
However, other scientists are skeptical of the findings.
Psychology professor Gregory Herek, of the University of California-Davis, has done extensive research on anti-gay bias and violence, and he says measuring unconscious same-sex attraction is "incredibly difficult."
Herek added: "This study is asking the right questions, but it's a pretty big leap to say it's revealing sexual orientation."

Most people already knew this and made such claims but now there's science and empirical data to back it up.

**hey** · 2012-04-09 07:52

It's always nice having data to back these things up.

**Day** · 2012-04-09 07:55

What about the gays always hating on breeders, are they actually straight?

Always wondered if being gay was a dormant disease, would explain people "choosing" to be gay mid-life.

**Cream Soda** · 2012-04-09 08:01

Have to keep in account the number of people who are homophobes because of "you're a faggot you're going to hell" which would skew the numbers

**thetruepandagod** · 2012-04-09 08:07

I was really homophobic when little and it just kind of disappeared im still unsure why, i think it was because of the staggering amount of homo's i had in my linkshell that were actually pretty cool people.

**Tajin** · 2012-04-09 08:12

Its missing the people that truly hates on gays. not this hate_fear bullshit

**Day** · 2012-04-09 08:15

To be fair, some gays, just like some straights, truly deserve the hate they get.

**drwaffles** · 2012-04-09 08:35

Least surprising study of all time, but hopefully it'll make more people aware of this phenomenon.

**The Stig** · 2012-04-09 08:37

Someone in our house share was a homophobe, then came clean 2 months after.

Friend A was actually gay. And he was very good friends with Friend B (whether there was any "love" there we do not know, but they're always hanging, but Friend B had a girlfriend)

Friend B was out of the house. So Friend A calls me and 3 others for an "important house meeting" before dinner.
We all attend and sat on sofa, wondering what the excitement was.

Friend A > I have something really important to tell you guys
Friend C > (calling/shouting) YOU'RE GAY!?
<we all laugh>
Friend A > (speaking quietly) Well, yes, I am
(I actually didn't hear him say that)
Friend A > (continues his coming out of the closet speech, but I actually didn't listen much because it didn't feel like he was doing a coming out of the closet speech, and I was hungry)
Friend A > so yeah, that's it then
Me > wait, what? So what was the issue/point?
Friend C > He's gay, didn't you hear me say earlier?
Me > oh, I thought you were joking!

We all just nodded and went "ok cool no prob" and just sat down and chatted/watched TV as usual while having dinner.

Friend B, however, ignored him for about 2 months. We noticed because they don't go food shopping together, or study together anymore. We didn't like him too much for that. Afterall, what was there to be scared of? Friend B had a girlfriend anyway (unless he was lying to himself lol)

So this articles makes me think Friend B might've been gay...

**Acturus** · 2012-04-09 08:41

Originally Posted by thetruepandagod

I was really homophobic when little and it just kind of disappeared im still unsure why, i think it was because of the staggering amount of homo's i had in my linkshell that were actually pretty cool people.

That's just exposure to alternative viewpoints. You have the benefit of being a thinking, rational, human being who is not ideologically boxed in to one myopic way of life.

In other words, yay you.

*edit* Also, source on the study results?

**Greatguardian** · 2012-04-09 11:45

Any link to the actual study or a more detailed look at their methodology?

Interesting conclusion of course, but I take psych studies with a grain of salt until I see how they arrived at them.

Edit: Never mind, it's not published yet. Guess I'll wait and see.

**Drex** · 2012-04-09 12:38

Can psychologists just hurry up and admit that everyone wants to fuck everyone? I was pretty surprised when I found out I want to fuck my mom, but finding out homophobes want to fuck gays isn't as groundbreaking to me.

**Lucavi** · 2012-04-09 12:56

Nice to see some science backing what should be pretty obvious. I'll wait to see the article.

**MF Perm tha Fineass** · 2012-04-09 13:20

Why is this thread title insulting me and I don't even know what it's telling me

**Andalusian girls** · 2012-04-09 16:36

Originally Posted by thetruepandagod

I was really homophobic when little and it just kind of disappeared im still unsure why, i think it was because of the staggering amount of homo's i had in my linkshell that were actually pretty cool people.

it's probably because you became a giant fag

**Brill Weave** · 2012-04-09 16:40

Friend B, however, ignored him for about 2 months. We noticed because they don't go food shopping together, or study together anymore. We didn't like him too much for that. Afterall, what was there to be scared of? Friend B had a girlfriend anyway (unless he was lying to himself lol)

Guy probably needed some time to process what was happening. Sounds like the gay guy was probably his best friend. Who didn't tell him he was gay. So he's probably worried that there might be feelings gay guy has towards him. Doesn't mean he's homophobic. He may just be dealing with the thought that his best friend didn't trust him enough to tell him. He'll get over it if he hasn't already.

**Dimmauk** · 2012-04-09 16:42

I always thought that gays thought everyone was gay so they could feel better about themselves.

**Yuri-G** · 2012-04-09 17:00

Originally Posted by thetruepandagod

I was really homophobic when little and it just kind of disappeared im still unsure why, i think it was because of the staggering amount of homo's i had in my linkshell that were actually pretty cool people.

sorry, you're gay

Spoiler: show

**WahiGuard** · 2012-04-09 17:20

Originally Posted by Brill Weave

Guy probably needed some time to process what was happening. Sounds like the gay guy was probably his best friend. Who didn't tell him he was gay. So he's probably worried that there might be feelings gay guy has towards him. Doesn't mean he's homophobic. He may just be dealing with the thought that his best friend didn't trust him enough to tell him. He'll get over it if he hasn't already.

His friend telling everyone else he was gay before friend B and seeing how friend b reacted proved he was right in assuming he should wait. He may or may not be homophobic but he definitely was melodramatic. The guy telling the house of his orientation had nothing to do with him(friend b), which his actions showed he decided to do.

**Churchill** · 2012-04-09 17:47

Psychology professor Gregory Herek, of the University of California-Davis, has done extensive research on anti-gay bias and violence, and he says measuring unconscious same-sex attraction is "incredibly difficult."
Herek added: "This study is asking the right questions, but it's a pretty big leap to say it's revealing sexual orientation."

I liked the unbolded part at the end.

Thread: Homophobe? You're most likely gay.

Thread Tools

Homophobe? You're most likely gay.

Latest Threads

Up & Coming Threads

Hottest Threads