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Q: Is homophobia associated with homosexual arousal?
A: Yes, according to a recent study by Henry Adams and his colleagues.
Adams studied a group of white heterosexual men, 35 of whom were classified as homophobic and 29, as nonhomophobic. All the men reported being entirely heterosexual in both arousal and experience.
The researchers found that the homophobic men showed a significant increase in penile circumference to the male homosexual video whereas the nonhomophobic men did not. "In the homophobic group, 20% showed no significant tumescence, 26% showed moderate tumescence, and 54% showed definite tumescence to the homosexual video; the corresponding percentages in the nonhomophobic group were 66%, 10%, and 24%, respectively" (p. 443).
There are several possible explanations. One is that homophobia is an attempt to repress or deny one's own homosexual impulses. Another is that homosexual stimuli cause anxiety nonhomophobic men, and anxiety enhances arousal and erection.