Homophobic Men Most Aroused by Gay Male Porn

[n2doc]

by Nathan A. Heflick in The Big Questions

Even a man who thought that women want to have sex with their fathers and that women spend much of their lives distraught because they lack a penis is right sometimes. This person, the legend that is Sigmund Freud, theorized that people often have the most hateful and negative attitudes towards things they secretly crave, but feel that they shouldn't have.

If Freud is right, then perhaps men who are the most opposed to male homosexuality have particularly strong homosexual urges for other men.

One study asked heterosexal men how comfortable and anxious they are around gay men. Based on these scores, they then divided these men into two groups: men that are homophobic, and men who are not. These men were then shown three, four minute videos. One video depicted straight sex, one depicted lesbian sex and one depicted gay male sex. While this was happening, a device was attached to the male participant's penises. This device has been found to be triggered by sexual arousal, but not other types of arousal (such as nervousness, or fear - arousal often has a very different meaning in psychology than in popular usage).

Heterosexual men with the most anti-gay attitudes, when asked, reported not being sexually aroused by gay male sex videos. But, their penises reported otherwise.

more

http://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-big-questions/201106/homophobic-men-most-aroused-gay-male-porn

[Love Bug]

1. Is anyone surprised by this?

:shrug:

[n2doc]

2. no, but there are clearly those uncomfortable enough to unrec n/t

[Poll_Blind]

4. Canceled at least one of them with my rec.

The ability to negatively impact a thread via UnRec is the most destructive, passive-agressive aspect of DU and does nothing to promote discussion.

PB

[marions ghost]

13. agreed

I hate Unrec :thumbsdown:

[kenfrequed]

27. counter -rec added

This is too important I think to bury. Though honestly I think there have been several studies on this over the years and most of them come to similar conclusions.

[badgerpup]

37. Just anecdotal (read: personal experience)...

...but the loudest and most violently homophobic guys are usually the 'closet cases'.

Had several instances during me misspent youth where a loudly proudly 'straight' guy would attach himself to my friends (gay men all) and me.
I knew that the attraction was certainly not moi; I was not what was considered an attractive female...more of the 'eye of the beholder' and 'inner beauty' type...:P

A lot of questions under the guise of ridicule were usually asked by Straight Guy. My friends had seen this sort of thing before, so they took the nastiness as what it really was...fear of self.

Three young men have wept in my arms confessing that they, too were gay (most of them eased into it gradually by saying they were bisexual) and were amazed at the response I'd give: "Yes, I know. It's OK." :hug:
This response allowed them to 'come out' to the rest of 'the gang', who reacted with support and a similar lack of surprise..."About time you realized it!"

Such a LOAD that seemed to fall off their shoulders and from around their necks...they were who they were and IT WAS OK...
at least, within this particular group.

[Karenina]

53. Another personal experience...

I came of age in the late sixties and attended a performing arts school in Manhattan. As such I learned a lot about human sexuality in the age of birth control pills and penicillin. I had experiences similar to yours. The best night outings were to 7th Ave So dance floors where I was NOT a part of the meat market and was carefully taught to spot men on the down low.

In my circles, by the time I graduated two things were part of our "common knowledge" about dating:

1. Avoid dating men who hate their mothers.

2. Run far and fast in the other direction from men who show ANY signs of homophobia. Whether they're closeted, simple bigots,
religious nuts or whatever their problem, they are toxic and best avoided.

[valerief]

10. Not a whit. nt

[MrScorpio]

32. Not surprised at all. I read this same study a couple years back nt

[Enthusiast]

52. It comes as little surprise. nt

[Poll_Blind]

3. Ha ha! As Love Bug said upthread, is anyone surprised?

Oh how twisted people can be. Very sad. The heart wants what the heart wants. Fight it at your peril.

PB

[aikoaiko]

5. I love the 1996 resaerch article this piece was based on. UGA research BTW. Go Dawgs!

I need to see if there has been follow up work to parse out the confounding issues.

[JAnthony]

8. I would be interested if you find any study to follow up with this.

I tend to think that there might also be "out-liers", people who are both NOT aroused and STILL are virulent homophobes. I personally DO NOT think all homophobes are secretly covering up their own arousal at the thought and image of male to male sex. Perhaps the majority, but not all.

In other words, haters come in all shapes and sizes and sexual orientations, I believe.

So I'd like to know if there is any more research into homophobes.

[Poll_Blind]

6. I'm straight but there's a great gay bar in town and I was in the restroom and...

...and a middle-aged guy walked in, wearing black and a black Stetson hat.

In the stall was a delicious Asian/Thai transvestite who, no shit, was sexier than most women you'll ever see in person. I was at a urinal, peeing. This middle-ageed dude walked in and sidled up to the urinal next to me and made some joke...some mildly homophobic joke (I wish I could recall what it was) and he meant it in all seriousness.

And I'm thinking "Dude, you're in the men's room at the biggest gay bar in this town and you're saying this? Buddy, you are going home with a saddle on tonight!"

Bizarre. I really wish I could remember exactly what he'd said but I'm betting I'm not the only one who has an anecdote like this.

PB

[Wickerman]

7. Flash! Water is wet

news at 11.

Nice to see it confirmed b science, nonetheless.

[Snoutport]

9. "the lady doth protest too much"

Is my line for when I see one of those homophobe preachers who seem totally gay to me (gaydar: beep beep beep)but who are spouting anti-gay stuff.

[pipi_k]

14. Which is exactly what I think when I see people

who protest just a little too much about nearly anything.

I've so often heard that we tend to focus on, or condemn in others, that which we hate so much in ourselves but don't want to acknowledge.

So whether it's someone who hates on "teh gay", or fat people, or the elderly, or people who see porn everywhere they look, or people who see racists everywhere they look...yeah...I do tend to wonder what lies beneath the show of outrage on the outside.

[JAnthony]

11. Hmmm.... I wonder if Rick Santorum.....um....um um

I don't even want to go there!!!!

[Poll_Blind]

16. This suggestive image brought to you by Rich Santorums' secret desires:

PB

[Blue Owl]

24. Say is that Mitch McConnell chowing down on that worm?

n/t

[gejohnston]

48. so far in the closet that the skeletons are starting to charge rent? n/t

[ladywnch]

12. me think thou dost protest too much.....

of course they are turned on by it. That's why they want all gay anything banned....they're afraid they won't be able to hide their true orientation so, if I don't see it I won't be tempted/exposed and I can go on lying to and judging the rest of the world. I'll bet good money that Fred Phelps masturbates to gay porn every night as do Phylis Schlafly, Anita Bryant, Todd Palin (when Sarah lets him have his balls to play with), all opponents to Prop 8.......

They are all self loathing cowards.

[woo me with science]

15. Hmm....

How did they possibly convince these vehemently homophobic men to sit and watch gay porn with sensors around their penises?

Hmm.

[Silent3]

21. Money for desperate college students?

It seems there are plenty ready to be lab rats for a few extra bucks.

[yawnmaster]

40. I'm not sure how vehement they were. The study says they were no more agressive than the control...

They were deemed homophobic based on a scientific survey.

[Javaman]

17. "Jerry, it moved". nt

[RyanPsych]

18. I remember the original study having a few possible confounds

We went over this is one of my grad school classes- I can't remember all what we talked about :p

While this is obviously true in many cases (Ted Haggard, Larry Craig, etc) I would comfortably postulate that the bulk of homophobes aren't secretly gay, but rather just virulent bigots and religious nuts.

The fact that there hasn't been a published follow up study (that anyone here knows about) might mean that, when corrected for confounds, the same results didn't occur.

But- who knows?

[slackmaster]

19. LOL!

:dunce:

[KittyWampus]

20. Are they getting off on the homosexuality component or the forbidden fruit aspect?

[Silent3]

23. Getting aroused is getting aroused

If these men were really, truly as disgusted as many homophobes claim to be even "forbidden fruit" isn't going to get them going. If you actually don't like something, what's the big deal if it's forbidden to you?

[KittyWampus]

25. Excuse me, but there are fetishes revolving around being a "bad boy/girl"

So you might want to reconsider the incorrect notion that doing something forbidden won't get some people off.

Examples, Exhibitionism, Domination (which doesn't even necessarily involve a sex act)

[Silent3]

26. I didn't say that something forbidden can't get people off...

...just that if something is truly disgusting to you, not merely forbidden (forbidden without disgust easily translates to "naughty!" in the more playful sense of that word), arousal, while not impossible, is much less likely.

Back when one of the big internet memes was "two girls and a cup" I eventually found a copy of that video. Totally "forbidden" activity for sure. And for me, nothing but disgust, not the slightest bit of arousal. As grossed out as I was, however, I'm still easy going enough to say if that's the kind of stuff people really want to do, it's none of my business. I won't be howling for new laws and for the morality police to come and put an end to it.

[Sheepshank]

22. The forbidden fruit...the biggest and most effective aphrodisiac in the world n/t

[RadiationTherapy]

28. For them it was a choice.

It must be difficult to go against one's sexual nature.

[sofa king]

29. The penis does not lie.

It depends on us to do that for it.

[hifiguy]

30. Everyone who is surprised by this

stand on your head....

[WillyT]

31. Yep... One Might Call It... Erection Projection...

Or not...

:hide::evilgrin::hide:

:yoiks:

[Politicalboi]

33. Calling Fred Phelps!

This describes him to a tee.

[LadyHawkAZ]

34. Didn't they do this study years ago?

old news.

[TheKentuckian]

35. Shocking! Who woulda thunk it that those obsessed with gays are the ones in rebellion

against their own natures?????

:sarcasm:

[tishaLA]

36. The Freud slam is stupid and unwarranted.

But it makes American ego psychology feel good about itself, so it keeps going back to the trough.

[nichomachus]

38. What's the difference between a gay bar and a redneck bar.

In a gay bar, all the homosexuals get a little drunk. In a redneck bar, all the drunks get a little homosexual.

[originalpckelly]

39. Damn good one!

:rofl:

[WillyT]

41. Um... Permission To Borrow That ???

:D

:rofl:

:hi:

[nichomachus]

56. But of course

[AnnieBW]

42. PrOn-bomb WBC!

Okay, so when is someone going to send the Westboro Baptists scumbags a "pornado"?

[Archae]

43. This study is pure horseshit.

It uses a gadget that is as reliable as the polygraph is, for detecting lies.

http://www.skepdic.com/penilep.html

Homophobes do all too often end up being closet gays.
But this study is pure shit.

[Maraya1969]

44. It's why they are so anti-gay. When I first experienced gay feelings

in high school after only liking boys I was terrified. I wouldn't look at some women for fear I would have those feelings. Thank God I got over it. I have now have had wonderful relationships with both men and women and I accept myself as I am. (although I still feel some gay people say I'm just in denial about having feelings toward men)

My greatest love was a woman. I would still be with her to this day had she not passed away. I don't know if I could have those feelings toward a man.

[QC]

45. Sadly, it's just a small step from this study to accusing all homophobes of being secretly gay,

which is why you got some unrecs, I suspect.

Many of us here are tired of having people claim that every rotten, knuckle-dragging son of a bitch wingnut piece of human garbage is really gay, which is how the study too often gets interpreted here.

Are some homophobes secretly gay? Sure. Think Roy Cohn and J. Edna Hoover, to name only two. But the fact of the matter is that most homophobes are apparently hateful straight people.

[Behind the Aegis]

49. Thank you!

I am so sick of this "study." But, at least it isn't "teh LIST!" LOL!

People really need to read this study and ask questions, which doesn't happen. Of course, most leave out the possibility that some aren't gay, but bisexual.

[Bonobo]

50. Does this mean there are heterophobic gay men that are secretly heterosexual too?

[QC]

54. And David Duke is secretly African American,

according to this theory.

[Puregonzo1188]

46. Yes, because people can't just be bigots.

In fact, I bet you a lot of members of Ku Klux Klan--secretly black.

I've yet to understand this fixation with implying all homophobes are gay.

[ej510]

47. Bishop Eddie Long.

[Tyrs WolfDaemon]

51. Doesn't Justice Clarence Thomas like porn?

We should volunteer him to participate. That way he might become a useful member of society and get away from the high court.

[Botany]

55. As a straight man I have always thought that those ...

.... who scream the most about "the gays" seemed mighty interested in how easily gay men
are able to recruit others into "the gay lifestyle,' as if it was so enjoyable.

[AlbertCat]

57. But, their penises reported otherwise.

Damn those penises!

Mine is just bossy! It goes out and runs up huge credit card bills, never lowers the toilet seat and keeps drinking out of the milk carton. I tell ya.... I am just along for the ride! It never does anything I ask.

[caseymoz]

58. As a straight guy who has no attraction to my sex

It does explain perfectly odd conversations I've had with homophobic people, especially my brother, who think of homosexuality as something insidious.

And who thought I was gay because I had no problem with gay people and couldn't understand what the threat was.

I think a lot of divisions and misunderstandings among people take place due to people's diverse experience of their own sexuality, which many times doesn't match other peoples'.