Celebrate Diversity, Fight Homophobia

TEA KNEE TEE GAS SUN: Gay, Lesbian, & Bi Teens: Students & Schools →

foreverqueer:

1. Self- Realization

• Gay male adolescents report becoming aware of a distinct feeling of “being different” between ages 5-7; they also report that they did not yet connect this feeling to the issue of sexuality.
• The median age at which lesbian and gay youth become aware that their…

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gaywrites:

Okay, this is perfect.

(Source: fillthyclothing)

Homophobes more likely to be closeted gays, study finds →

gaywrites:

The results of a recent study show that, among other factors, a person’s inner turmoil about their own non-heterosexuality could play a huge role in that person being homophobic.

In the April Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, the study uses “modern methods” to explore a well-established Freudian concept that people block unconscious desires by adapting an opposite view of them (i.e. acting like you hate something you really love).

People who came from “controlling homes” where bias against LGBT people was rampant were more likely to suppress same-sex attraction, which therefore was more likely to manifest itself in outward homophobia. More on the methods:

Among those methods: studies that measure discrepancies between what people say about their sexual orientation and how they react during split-second timed tasks. Study subjects — four groups of about 160 college students each, in the USA and Germany — also rated the attractiveness of people in same-sex or opposite-sex photos and answered questions about the type of parenting they experienced growing up, from authoritarian to democratic, as well as homophobia at home.

Researchers also measured homophobia — both overt, as expressed in questionnaires on social policy and beliefs, and unconscious, as revealed in word-completion tasks.

Other experts have said this is hardly a way to measure sexual orientation, also saying it gives too much power to an individual’s parents and doesn’t pay attention to how they think about themselves. Still, this is fascinating and not at all shocking. What say you?

logicianmagician:

Is Some Homophobia Self-Homophobia? 

Homophobia is more pronounced in individuals with an unacknowledged attraction to the same sex and who grew up with authoritarian parents who forbade such desires, a series of psychology studies demonstrates.

The study is the first to document the role that both parenting and sexual orientation play in the formation of intense and visceral fear of homosexuals, including self-reported homophobic attitudes, discriminatory bias, implicit hostility towards gays, and endorsement of anti-gay policies. Conducted by a team from the University of Rochester, the University of Essex, England, and the University of California in Santa Barbara, the research will be published the April issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

“According to Freudian Psychology only heterosexuality is seen as mature and ‘healthy’, and therefore provides scientific legitimation for viewing homosexuality in a negative light. With these pervasive and deeply held values, open displays of homosexuality are highly threatening to the dominant group and could, if left unchallenged, spread.”

….Doesn’t look very threatening to me. 

(Source: fightinghomophobia)

deconversionmovement:

Is Some Homophobia Self-phobia?

Anti-gay bias is linked to lack of awareness of one’s sexual orientation and authoritarian parenting, study shows.

Homophobia is more pronounced in individuals with an unacknowledged attraction to the same sex and who grew up with authoritarian parents who forbade such desires, a series of psychology studies demonstrates.

The study is the first to document the role that both parenting and sexual orientation play in the formation of intense and visceral fear of homosexuals, including self-reported homophobic attitudes, discriminatory bias, implicit hostility towards gays, and endorsement of anti-gay policies. Conducted by a team from the University of Rochester, the University of Essex, England, and the University of California in Santa Barbara, the research will be published the April issue of the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology.

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