How could the leader of the Evangelical Church been against gay marriage while engaging a male prostitute?

Question

Will this prove to be a watershed event in our nation's history and perhaps result in the evangelicals coming out for gay rights?

Answer 1

Growing up in a heteronormative society where being gay is considered inherently evil, Ted Haggard suppressed his sexuality. In an attempt to change, he turned to God and even spoke out against gays and lesbians. In a bid for normalcy, he married and had a family.

Reverend Haggard now knows firsthand that sexuality cannot be changed. His own denial landed him in a relationship that could never bring him sexual satisfaction, despite what emotional bonds he may have with his wife. Unfortunately, it ended with lies and infidelity. It is probably his frustration and self-loathing that drove him to drugs.

Reverend Haggard has hurt his family terribly and there is no excuse for that. But the problem is not simply that he is gay -- the problem is that he succumbed to societal pressures and drew other into is fragile, fabricated lie.

It's not too late for Rev. Haggard to do something positive for society. He knows, perhaps better than anyone, that no amount of prayer can change someone's sexuality. He should admit that his political views were misguided. He should speak out against the pressures of heternormativity and speak up for committed, loving, honest relationships, gay and straight.

Answer 2

And here's your study details!

Psychoanalytic theory holds that homophobia --the fear, anxiety, anger, discomfort and aversion that some ostensibly heterosexual people hold for gay individuals -- is the result of repressed homosexual urges that the person is either unaware of or denies. A study appearing in the August issue of the Journal of Abnormal Psychology, published by the American Psychological Association (APA), provides new empirical evidence that is consistent with that theory.

Researchers at the University of Georgia conducted an experiment involving 35 homophobic men and 29 non-homophobic men as measured by the Index of Homophobia scale. All the participants selected for the study described themselves as exclusively heterosexual both in terms of sexual arousal and experience.

Each participant was exposed to sexually explicit erotic stimuli consisting of heterosexual, male homosexual and lesbian videotapes (but not necessarily in that order). Their degree of sexual arousal was measured by penile plethysmography, which precisely measures and records male tumescence.

Men in both groups were aroused by about the same degree by the video depicting heterosexual sexual behavior and by the video showing two women engaged in sexual behavior. The only significant difference in degree of arousal between the two groups occurred when they viewed the video depicting male homosexual sex: "The homophobic men showed a significant increase in penile circumference to the male homosexual video, but the control [non-homophobic] men did not."

Broken down further, the measurements showed that while 66% of the non-homophobic group showed no significant tumescence while watching the male homosexual video, only 20% of the homophobic men showed little or no evidence of arousal. Similarly, while 24% of the non-homophobic men showed definite tumescence while watching the homosexual video, 54% of the homophobic men did.

When asked to give their own subjective assessment of the degree to which they were aroused by watching each of the three videos, men in both groups gave answers that tracked fairly closely with the results of the objective physiological measurement, with one exception: the homophobic men significantly underestimated their degree of arousal by the male homosexual video.

Do these findings mean, then, that homophobia in men is a reaction to repressed homosexual urges, as psychoanalysis theorizes? While their findings are consistent with that theory, the authors note that there is another, competing theoretical explanation: anxiety. According to this theory, viewing the male homosexual videotape may have caused negative emotions (such as anxiety) in the homophobic men, but not in the non-homophobic men. As the authors note, "anxiety has been shown to enhance arousal and erection," and so it is also possible that "a response to homosexual stimuli [in these men] is a function of the threat condition rather than sexual arousal per se. These competing notions can and should be evaluated by future research."

Well, that explains the 'how' for you.

~Morg~

Answer 3

He is against gay marriage. I don't think the accussation is that he is secretly MARRIED to the guy he was with.... IF he was with the guy.

Should all straight people or bisexuals be FOR gay marriage because they "dabble" in homosexuality? It's NOT a given

Answer 4

If you didn't know, homophobes are homophobes because they can't stand their own homosexual ideas and feelings. They did a study once, and they showed both homophobes and non-homophobes gay pornography. Guess who got more aroused by the films? They harbor their own desires by creating a great disdain for homosexuals. I guess it is a defense mechanism.

Answer 5

He's against gay marriage, not neccessarily against having gay sex. He thinks gay sex should only be practiced OUTSIDE of wedlock. Yes, the logic escapes me too.

Answer 6

Sex is one thing but marriage is another. Its too simple for words. But I guess you didn't understand that.
I Cr 13;8a, Love never fails!!!!!
11-2-6

Answer 7

he's one among many--there will be more--soon the whole institution will crumble as their leaders are proven to be liars and little gay whores

Answer 8

Your suppose to be Innocent until Proven Guilty.
Either Way---You Reap what you Sow.

Answer 9

Its just an allegation, it is not necessarily true. Don't come to a conclusion too quickly.

Answer 10

prostitution and marriage are two seperate unrelated issues,