Masculinity And Homophobia Essay

In the Journal of Homosexuality, I found an article titled "Heterosexual Masculinity and Homophobia: A Reaction to the Self?" This article discussed information based on a case study that was done on 74 college males. The study investigated the link between heterosexual masculinity and homophobia. "Heterosexual Masculinity and Homophobia: A Reaction to the Self" examined specific areas as the predictors of homophobia. One area discussed was gender self-discrepancy. Gender discrepancy is how well a male thinks that he fits the cultural expectations of how they should act as a man. Another area explored was attribute importance, or the perceived importance of possessing masculine attributes. Finally, self-esteem was reviewed. After
Belief in heterosexual masculinity causes heterosexuals, especially men, to internalize society's gender expectations. Consequently, anxiety develops over not fulfilling those expectations. This inner anxiety also leads several males to reject gay men as a way of reaffirming their own sense of masculinity. The rejection can vary from concealed expressions of hatred and disapproval to overt forms of physical and verbal abuse. No matter what, each form of homophobia seems to define who one is by identifying gay people as a symbol of what one is not. College men feel the term homosexual applies for the most part to gay men and not lesbians. They can accept two women together, while the thought of two men coupling disgusts many. Because of this belief, men tend to reject homosexuality more than a female would. We as a society tend to say that if a man is emotional, cries, or is excessively neat, he is gay. If a man prefers to do the laundry over changing the oil on a car, we assume he is gay. These traits do not make a man a homosexual, nor do they make him a heterosexual. One's gender identity begins at birth and continues throughout one's life