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.
