Homophobia could be caused by the repression that certain people make of their own desires
The New York Times published an article in 2012 with this provocative headline linking homophobia and homosexuality. The text exposed the result of several investigations. Obviously, not all homophobes are homosexual . You can dislike or hate different people for various reasons: education, beliefs of any kind or fear. However, this aversion can also be produced by the repression that certain people make of their own desires, as Freud would say. It is just what happened to personalities of a certain public notoriety. Several evangelical and political leaders became famous in the United States who branded homosexuality a sin or who advocated including it as a hate crime. The passage of time discovered that those who defended these theses had had experiences with people of the same sex.
The results concluded that more than 20% of the participants who expressed that they were completely heterosexual showed some discrepancy with their answers . And the most surprising thing: these people were more likely to enact policies against homosexuals or to impose more severe punishments on the group for minor crimes. When the researchers delved into the education that the participants had received, they found a common link: those who had disagreed the most in the exercise had grown up in very controlling environments, with parents who were very belligerent against homosexuality.
In 1996, an investigation was already carried out that measured the arousal of 64 men through the thickness of their penis while they watched videos of sex between heterosexuals and between homosexuals. Those considered homophobic denied that they liked the videos between people of the same sex. However, their penises said something else: they had become aroused.
Previous research is still controversial , both because of the methods selected and the percentages suggested, as well as because of the non-repetition of the results. This is stated in an article published in 2013 that found no correlation between aversion and homosexual tendencies, and which has been equally refuted.
It seems obvious to insist that not all homophobes are homosexual, but it is possible that in some cases there is some relationship, as can be deduced from various scientific investigations or, at least, from some statements by people who have recognized it. It pays to be more honest with yourself and, as Richard Ryan, one of the researchers at the University of Rochester, suggests, arouse compassion towards one’s own intransigents. They may have lived in very controlling environments and are fighting against a part of themselves.
