Is the truth finally out?

[sp1814]

Certainly seems to have annoyed commentators on the DM site (unsurprisingly):

http://www.dailymail....-sex-study-finds.html

[emmie]

so now if one says anything that may be construed as homophobic, however innocent, means you are a repressed homosexual, wonder where they get this guff from.

[cathfromsaron]

we have always said 'he/she protests too much' ...

not rocket science!

i would prefer people live and let live though!

[jake-the-peg]

You've got to love some of these comments

//My aunt hates being near spiders: she's arachnaphobic. My brother feels edgy in enclosed spaces: he's claustrophobic. I don't feel at ease in the presence of homosexuals: I'm homophobic (apparently) I can't help it...I was born this way.//

Presumably Hitler couldn't help hating Jews either!

I'm also very impressed that "Cliff" knows he was born homophobic - so few us can remember our first weeks of life.

You don't suppose he might have grown up with macho influences making jokes about "pooftas" and "queers" and have developed his intolences there do you?

No surely not - that would imply he was susceptable to role models and not a man of towering intellect making his own decisions

But then if he was a man of towering intellect making his own decisions he'd probably not be reading the Mail

[MarkRae]

> Researchers in New York, Essex and California...

Superb!

[mushroom25]

it's possible - but if so, i wonder what he'd have made of a guy i used to work with, for whom the words "gay" and "poof" were most definitely not interchangeable - in an office otherwise full of heteros, he was by far the most masculine.....

[sp1814]

em10

No,no - have a look at original report. What it refers to are people who display consistent hatred of gays, not someone who might make a remark that may be 'construed' as homophobic - I think you know the type of people we're talking about...the ones who beat up gays or who feel hatred for no other reason but for someone's sexuality.

[Baldric]

I've never been confused!

[sp1814]

mushroom25

I don't think the report is trying to say that EVERY homophobe is secretly gay.

However, I am not 100% sure I know what you're getting at - do you think this chap you worked with WAS gay?

[sp1814]

Baldric - but unless you hate gays, this doesn't really refer to you...surely?

[ummmm]

I've always thought there was something in it.

[mushroom25]

sp - my comment was really addressed at j-t-p's reference to "cliff" and his claim to have been born homophobic. so my point was that you can't always judge by using a stereotype as your base line.

btw, there's no doubt my colleague was gay, he was really up front about it. his partner was absolutely charming.

[rov1100]

Maybe the people who hate paedophiles are secret child molesters?

[Sir Alec]

I always wonder about men who wont go for a prostate exam, yet seem to be obsessed with having anal sex with women. Maybe it's wishful thinking?
As Graham Norton said, "What's the difference between a gay man and a straight man?. About 10 pints of beer!"

[d9f1c7]

So homophobes are really gay themselves are they? Does that work for all the "phobes" sp? Never heard such guff in my life. I was shocked though as I never had you down as a DM devotee!

[Kromovaracun]

"Maybe the people who hate paedophiles are secret child molesters?"

There's no evidence for that, no.

There does, on the other hand, seem to be a remarkably high number of people (like Ted Haggard and numerous American and British politicians, public figures and religious leaders) who publicly declare that homosexuality is sinful etc., and then get caught out doing it themselves. Plus some studies like this indicate that some homophobes (not all) do feel same sex attractions.

So the evidence does differentiate the two statements a little bit.

[sp1814]

d9

Nope - I knew about this report a while ago, and have referred to it before on AB.

It just tickles me how much it's angered DM readers.

Rov1100 - I think we both know how silly your post is. How could on report on homophobes be extrapolated to a completely different demographic.

This is something that a few people have suspected and now we have stats/evidence to back it up.

[sp1814]

d9 - have you looked at the raw data?

Why do you think it's guff?

[naomi24]

I don't think that's necessarily the truth. I know a lady who believes that male homosexuality equates not only to an attraction to other men, but also to male children. There's a lot of ignorance out there.

[whiskeryron]

Does anyone think that those people on here who are always running the Daily Mail down are secret D M readers ?

[Sipowicz]

Daily Male?