Study indicates: homophobes can be closeted gays

Based on research carried out in 1996, the documentary Middle Sexes Redefining He and She (in free translation, O Sex do Meio: Redefining Him and Her) aired by HBO confirms a reality that is, to say the least, curious: homophobes have a high chance of being closeted gays.

Conducted by the University of Georgia, the survey selected 64 college students and divided them into two groups: the first with boys who showed to be homophobic and the second group with indifferent to other people’s guidance. Then both groups had to watch a gay movie.

All the boys were hooked up to devices that measure their level of arousal. And the result was unexpected: the homophobic group showed unusual levels of arousal. Even with the finding, they were unanimous in admitting that they didn’t feel anything during the film.

See the search details in the video below. If you want to read the research, in English, click here – Is Homophobia Associated With Homosexual Arousal? The video search is this – and was published by the APA, American Psychological Association, American Psychological Association.

Homophobic Gays: Double Prejudice

The other day I read an article that the psychologist and therapist João Pedrosa wrote for the GLX website, and I found it very interesting. Read below:

By João Pedrosa

“The gay homophobe attacks homosexuals and homosexuality as a way to hide his true orientation.

It is common to hear the statement that the homophobic is a closeted gay. We cannot generalize by saying that every homophobe is a closeted gay, but it seems that in many cases this statement is true.

How many public figures organize crusades against homosexuals? Politicians, religious leaders, educators, media personalities, young people linked to right-wing and far-right groups, among others. They are militant or card-carrying homophobes.

Many homosexuals do not experience their homosexuality, even if clandestinely, for fear of social punishment. It prevents the aversive stimuli that are generated by punishing homosexuality by counter-aggressing homosexuals. This counter-aggression is an avoidance of their own homosexuality. These are latent homosexuals. Rigidly, the majority repress their homosexuality to the extreme. They join a political organization, reactionary or religious groups that persecute homosexuals.

For this phenomenon, we behavior analyst psychologists use the term to react, which is when a person engages in behavior that is incompatible with the behavior that has both reinforcing consequences [sinto atração e vontade] as aversive [caso faça algo poderei ser descoberto e punido]🇧🇷

The following example illustrates this concept well: a senior army commander in Rio de Janeiro was known in the barracks for his fierce persecution of homosexuals: homophobic statements; bad jokes; isolation of potential gays, among others. Until one day, a well-known Brazilian magazine publishes that this soldier was surprised by the police with a boy in his car on a deserted street in the suburbs of Rio de Janeiro. It was a resounding barracks scandal. Another recent example is the American evangelical pastor Ted Haggard, known for his crusade against same-sex marriage. He was accused of having had relations with a hustler.

Reacting can also be interpreted as behavior that removes stimuli that make the behavior likely to be punishable (I won’t have gay sex so I won’t be found out and punished). The behavior of making a reaction works as self-control. By making a reaction, the person controls the tendency to practice the homosexual act, making public campaigns against homosexuals. By doing so, it is unlikely that you will practice what you want and if your homophobic campaign gains prominence and approval (is reinforced by the community and media) the will to practice will be weakened, but not eliminated”.

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