Wednesday, April 11, 2012

Do researchers who live by the sword have to die by it?

"Individuals who identify as straight but in psychological tests show a strong attraction to the same sex may be threatened by gays and lesbians because homosexuals remind them of similar tendencies within themselves," explains Netta Weinstein, a lecturer at the University of Essex and the study's lead author.

The next study they should do is on people who come out with reports that back up gay claims about the people opposing them really being gay themselves to see if their findings have anything to do with the fact that they may feel threatened by people who disagree with them on this issue.

2 comments:

Singring said...
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Singring said...

'The next study they should do is on people who come out with reports that back up gay claims about the people opposing them really being gay themselves...'

See, this is where science literacy really comes in handy, Martin. Dr Weinstein clearly is referring only to people who score high in tests on attraction to the same sex as being threatened - she is certainly not referring to all opponents of gays, gay sex, marriage, whatever.

I can think of a few prominent examples from the evangelical community who would work nicely as examples for Weinstein's hypothesis (and that the article also points out, I see).

Not that she needs any additional data, apparently:

'The findings provide new empirical evidence to support the psychoanalytic theory that the fear, anxiety, and aversion that some seemingly heterosexual people hold toward gays and lesbians can grow out of their own repressed same-sex desires, Ryan says.'