What Are the Causes of Homophobic Anxiety?

Homophobia is an irrational fear of people who are attracted to members of the same sex. Homophobic people often assume that gays and lesbians are not entitled to the same rights and privileges as heterosexuals.

Effects

According to Dr. Henry E. Adams, professor emeritus at the University of Georgia, 90 percent of gay men and lesbians report being victims of verbal abuse and threats. More than one third of them faced violent attacks because of their homosexuality.

Expert Insight

Dr. Adams participated in a 1996 study that found that 80 percent of a test group of homophobic men--who claimed to be heterosexual--experienced arousal while viewing sexually explicit videos of homosexual orientation.

Theories/Speculation

One theoretical explanation for the above-mentioned findings is that homophobia may involve the repression and denial of a person's own homosexual desires.

Identification

Religious beliefs, strict societal expectations concerning gender role, societal pressures and ignorance all work to propagate homophobic behavior.

Considerations

Since there is no single cause of homophobia, it is possible that people succumb to the condition for a variety of reasons. Nevertheless, it is a state of mind that causes great anxiety for the homophobic person as well as his victims.

References

• Homophobia
• Putting Freud to the Test
• "Journal of Abnormal Psychology; "Is Homophobia Associated With Homosexual Arousal?"; Henry E. Adams, Ph.D.; Lester W. Wright, Jr., Ph.D.; and Bethany A. Lohr; August 1996

Resources

• Westboro Baptist Church
• Does Homophobia in Straight Homophobic Men Stem from Arousal or Anxiety?