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Homophobic? Maybe You’re Gay
by richard m. ryan and william s.
ryan • April 27, 2012
WHY are political and
religious figures who campaign against gay rights so often implicated in sexual
encounters with same-sex partners?
In recent years, Ted Haggard,
an evangelical leader who preached that homosexuality was a sin, resigned after
a scandal involving a former male prostitute; Larry Craig, a United States
senator who opposed including sexual orientation in hate-crime legislation, was
arrested on suspicion of lewd conduct in a men’s bathroom; and Glenn Murphy
Jr., a leader of the Young Republican National Convention and an opponent of
same-sex marriage, pleaded guilty to a lesser charge after being accused of
sexually assaulting another man.
One theory is that homosexual
urges, when repressed out of shame or fear, can be expressed as homophobia.
Freud famously called this process a “reaction formation” — the angry battle against
the outward symbol of feelings that are inwardly being stifled. Even Mr.
Haggard seemed to endorse this idea when, apologizing after his scandal for his
anti-gay rhetoric, he said, “I think I was partially so vehement because of my
own war.”
It’s a compelling theory —
and now there is scientific reason to believe it. In this month’s issue of the
Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, we and our fellow researchers provide empirical evidence
that homophobia can result, at least in part, from the suppression of same-sex
desire.
Our paper describes six
studies conducted in the United States
and Germany
involving 784 university students. Participants rated their sexual orientation
on a 10-point scale, ranging from gay to straight. Then they took a
computer-administered test designed to measure their implicit sexual
orientation. In the test, the participants were shown images and words
indicative of hetero- and homosexuality (pictures of same-sex and straight
couples, words like “homosexual” and “gay”) and were asked to sort them into
the appropriate category, gay or straight, as quickly as possible. The computer
measured their reaction times.
The twist was that before
each word and image appeared, the word “me” or “other” was flashed on the
screen for 35 milliseconds — long enough for participants to subliminally
process the word but short enough that they could not consciously see it. The
theory here, known as semantic association, is that when “me” precedes words or
images that reflect your sexual orientation (for example, heterosexual images
for a straight person), you will sort these images into the correct category
faster than when “me” precedes words or images that are incongruent with your
sexual orientation (for example, homosexual images for a straight person). This
technique, adapted from similar tests used to assess attitudes like
subconscious racial bias, reliably distinguishes between self-identified
straight individuals and those who self-identify as lesbian, gay or bisexual.
Using this methodology we
identified a subgroup of participants who, despite self-identifying as highly
straight, indicated some level of same-sex attraction (that is, they associated
“me” with gay-related words and pictures faster than they associated “me” with
straight-related words and pictures). Over 20 percent of self-described highly
straight individuals showed this discrepancy.
Notably, these “discrepant”
individuals were also significantly more likely than other participants to
favor anti-gay policies; to be willing to assign significantly harsher
punishments to perpetrators of petty crimes if they were presumed to be
homosexual; and to express greater implicit hostility toward gay subjects (also
measured with the help of subliminal priming). Thus our research suggests that
some who oppose homosexuality do tacitly harbor same-sex attraction.
What leads to this
repression? We found that participants who reported having supportive and
accepting parents were more in touch with their implicit sexual orientation and
less susceptible to homophobia. Individuals whose sexual identity was at odds
with their implicit sexual attraction were much more frequently raised by
parents perceived to be controlling, less accepting and more prejudiced against
homosexuals.
It’s important to stress the
obvious: Not all those who campaign against gay men and lesbians secretly feel
same-sex attractions. But at least some who oppose homosexuality are likely to
be individuals struggling against parts of themselves, having themselves been
victims of oppression and lack of acceptance. The costs are great, not only for
the targets of anti-gay efforts but also often for the perpetrators. We would
do well to remember that all involved deserve our compassion.
Richard M. Ryan is a
professor of psychology, psychiatry and education at the University of Rochester.
William S. Ryan is a doctoral student in psychology at the University of California,
Santa Barbara.
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