Opinion: Homophobia hurts straight men, too

Dan82 · Oct 6, 2010

http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/1006/Homophobia-hurts-straight-men-too

n the 1986 movie Stand By Me, an adult protagonist – played by Richard Dreyfuss – looks back wistfully on the friendships he formed in his youth. “I never had any friends later on like the ones I had when I was twelve,” he muses. “Does anyone?”

For most American men, the sad answer is “no.” In surveys, men report that they rarely sustain intimate, long-standing friendships with other males after childhood. And the reason might surprise you: According to a large body of research, they’re afraid of being seen as gay.

I thought of this research as I read about the death of Tyler Clementi, the Rutgers University freshman who jumped off the George Washington Bridge after a roommate secretly filmed Clementi’s sexual encounter with another man and posted the clip online. Clementi died by himself, but he wasn’t alone: Since the school term began in September, three other adolescent boys around the country also committed suicide following taunts from classmates about their sexual orientation.

In response, gay and lesbian groups called on schools to institute more stringent protections for gay students. Even Secretary of Education Arne Duncan got in on the act, attributing these “unnecessary tragedies” to the “trauma” of homophobic bullying. “This is a moment where every one of us . . . needs to stand up and speak out against intolerance in all its forms...

http://www.csmonitor.com/Commentary/Opinion/2010/1006/Homophobia-hurts-straight-men-too
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Lady Gaga · Oct 6, 2010

I don't think it's an opinion.

It makes perfect sense when you think about it.

Straight guy..well, is straight. People think he's gay, they harass him. Even though he isn't gay, he still feels the emotional trauma.

Straight guy..well, is straight. People think he's gay, this makes him take out his rage on actual gay people. Emotional scarred straight guy makes gay people sad.

Things like that.

Chandra · Oct 6, 2010

Hate harms everybody, including the hater.

(And by that I don't mean to imply that all straight men are haters, BTW.)

Opinion: Homophobia hurts straight men, too

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Opinion: Homophobia hurts straight men, too

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