Homophobia associated with homosexual arousal

[Danascot]

Adams HE, Wright LW Jr, Lohr BA.

Department of Psychology, University of Georgia, Athens 30602-3013, USA.

The authors investigated the role of homosexual arousal in exclusively heterosexual men who admitted negative affect toward homosexual individuals. Participants consisted of a group of homophobic men (n = 35) and a group of nonhomophobic men (n = 29); they were assigned to groups on the basis of their scores on the Index of Homophobia (W. W. Hudson & W. A. Ricketts, 1980). The men were exposed to sexually explicit erotic stimuli consisting of heterosexual, male homosexual, and lesbian videotapes, and changes in penile circumference were monitored. They also completed an Aggression Questionnaire (A. H. Buss & M. Perry, 1992). Both groups exhibited increases in penile circumference to the heterosexual and female homosexual videos. Only the homophobic men showed an increase in penile erection to male homosexual stimuli. The groups did not differ in aggression. Homophobia is apparently associated with homosexual arousal that the homophobic individual is either unaware of or denies.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8772014

[pepperbear]

1. the phrase "well, duh!" comes to mind. n/t

[Laelth]

16. Repression is bad. Let me add a hearty "well, duh!" n/t

:dem:

-Laelth

[Jackpine Radical]

2. I have posted this study, with commentary,

probably a half dozen times over the years on DU.

Not that it hurts to spread the word again.

[napoleon_in_rags]

5. I've posted it in response too, but you gotta admit: Its an oldie but a goodie!

Like one of those songs you listen to time and time again ;)

[MajorChode]

22. I read somewhere that the authors were trying to prove Freud wrong...

but instead proved him right.

I do get a kick out of flaming homophobes. In their attempts at concealing their repressed desires they reveal more about themselves than they could ever imagine.

[corruptmewithpower]

3. Official Marine Corps response to this subject

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J6_1Pw1xm9U

[TexasObserver]

9. they're looking for a few good men

[Political Heretic]

4. I would assume this is true, but because I'm baised - some questions to counter my bias:

1. Has this study been replicated, and where was this study published (was it subject to a peer review process?)

Ah, it appears it was published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology in 1996. Well that's a scholarly (peer reviewed) journal so that's good. That study is over a decade old however - what has happened since then? Has it been corroborated by any other studies?

2. What was the methodology for this study?


If the study has never been replicated, then I'm hesitant to throw a 13 year old study around as a proof text - ESPECIALLY since it confirms what my own internal bias already tells me to suspect, so I have to be careful.

[napoleon_in_rags]

7. I think internal "bias", when its caused by anecdotal evidence, should strengthen a hypothesis.

I know it does for me: My experience as a queer has been that truly strait men relate to homosexuality the way a cat relates to a salad: It sniffs it, but isn't interested. It doesn't run in fear, nor panic, nor attack the salad in rage, it just isn't interested in partaking. Yet such a high percentage of people I've known who react to it with panic or anger or fear later come out as gay themselves, and thier initial reactions aren't explainable in terms of heterosexuality alone...It just makes sense, and sometimes I think that gut feeling can be okay.

[Political Heretic]

8. lol that's so me.... I even think... maybe someday I'll want a salad. But for now, meh, no.

:D

[napoleon_in_rags]

11. Hehe. Well that tells me you're secure with who you are, either way.

Its the people who freak out where you have to wonder what's going on! :)

[Jackpine Radical]

12. IIRC, the study employed a penile plethysmograph (PPG) to measure arousal

and used gay or straight porn as stimuli. The PPG is a standard tool, and many studies have been done using it as a measure of arousal. It is commonly used in the assessment of deviant arousal patterns in sex offenders. Henry Adams was one of the pioneers of PPG research and clinical testing.

[Political Heretic]

14. I was more interested in how they measured homophobia

[MajorChode]

24. They used the Hudson and Ricketts index....

to screen the applicants.

http://www.bgsu.edu/downloads/sa/file14259.pdf

[Political Heretic]

26. Ah thank you!

[QC]

19. A petermeter! n/t

[Lisa0825]

6. No surprise... I read about a similar study many years ago....

and have quoted it often to piss of homophobes. :evilgrin:

[TexasObserver]

10. This comports with what many of us have observed, anecdotely.

I've long felt homophobia in some men was the result of conflict they experience between their stated world view and the one they hold inside them. If one is oriented to be gay genetically, as most of us believe, suppression of that desire by overriding religious doctrines would likely result in some kind of acting out toward gays.

Why else would such men worry that gays might seduce straights?

[Brooklyns_Finest]

13. I believe you, I really do!

However, I posted a study on the bisexual patterns of ALL women and I got flamed. If you are going to use these "gay" test as evidence of latent homosexuality by homophobes, then you have to be consistent on its use.

My PERSONAL opinion is that all women are capable of an emotional and physical relationship with the same sex, while with men, it is either one or the other. This study seems to back me up:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2003/06/030613075252.htm

Science Daily (June 13, 2003) — EVANSTON, Ill. --- Three decades of research on men's sexual arousal show patterns that clearly track sexual orientation -- gay men overwhelmingly become sexually aroused by images of men and heterosexual men by images of women. In other words, men's sexual arousal patterns seem obvious.

But a new Northwestern University study boosts the relatively limited research on women's sexuality with a surprisingly different finding regarding women's sexual arousal.

In contrast to men, both heterosexual and lesbian women tend to become sexually aroused by both male and female erotica, and, thus, have a bisexual arousal pattern.

[Political Heretic]

15. Of course men can be bisexual too, so....

"overwhelmingly" still leaves millions of men unrepresented.

[omega minimo]

17. how could the results show that none of the straight "nonhomophobic" males were aroused?

what's up with that? :wow:

[kansasblue]

18. Did they understand they were aroused? Were they asked about it?

I saw an interview with the author of study. He said so many people asked "Did they understand they were aroused? Were they asked about it?" and he said they were not.

In other words the test didn't help test subjects understand what is was that was making them homophobic.

[Bolo Boffin]

20. Hmmm. I wonder if we need to hook Scalia up to a tumescense moniton then

and show him pictures of gay porn to see...

Ok, ew, I just grossed myself out.

[Jim Sagle]

21. Not to worry...Scalia just likes to fuck Democrats. Preferably from the bench.

[Omnibus]

23. Ick.

You grossed me out too.

Along with most of DU.

[Kitty Herder]

25. Well that's a shocker.

Who'd a guessed? :sarcasm:

[DCKit]

27. Did anyone think to ask these guys if they "beat their bitches" after sex?

There seems to be a correlation. Perhaps they simply hate everyone and just don't know WTF to call it.