They may be doing so as a simple strategy. Or, it may be that politicians in Southern states stoke anti-gay attitudes in order to win elections. This is consistent with data showing, for example, that white racial resentment is higher in counties with larger populations of black folk.ģ. This is one version of the contact hypothesis: the presence and visibility of gay, lesbian, and bisexual people threatens the norm of heterosexuality, increasing opposition. Another possibility is that both homosexual inclinations and anti-gay hatred are high in Southern states, but not in the same people. There’s data that backs this up in at least some cases.Ģ. So, out of fear of exposure, or fear of their own feelings, they are vocally anti-LGBT rights. This is the idea that some people express homophobic attitudes because they fear being non-heterosexual themselves. There is the (barely) repressed homosexuality theory, of course. I can think of at least three theories:ġ. For me, this raises questions about what’s driving sentiment against same-sex marriage and porn use and if and why it’s related.
