# How many religious fundamentalists are homosexuals in denial? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [December 4, 2006, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868 "2006-12-04T21:31:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Senor\_Pina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@Senor\_Pina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senor_Pina)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868/1 "2006-12-04T21:31:49Z")
Like the good pastor Haggard, for instance. Is it common for religious zealotry to be caused by a fear of or denial of one’s own sexual orientation? ---
**Author:** ![AWB](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/bb73d2/32.png) [@AWB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AWB)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 9:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868/2 "2006-12-04T21:45:25Z")
[QUOTE=Señor Piña] How many religious fundamentalists are homosexuals in denial? [/QUOTE] 52,346 ---
**Author:** ![Ethilrist](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ethilrist/32/4604_2.png) [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868/3 "2006-12-04T21:51:45Z")
[QUOTE=AWB] 52,346 [/QUOTE] Well, you can’t count that guy from Albany. He did get his 327J form filed by the 14th, so he’s clear, but yeah, 52,345 sounds right. ---
**Author:** ![Rico](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rico/32/3582_2.png) [@Rico](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rico)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868/4 "2006-12-04T21:51:55Z")
\ Factual answer not possible. I am denying that I ever moved this thread to Great Debates \ ---
**Author:** ![Autumn\_Almanac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d26b3c/32.png) [@Autumn\_Almanac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Autumn_Almanac)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 9:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868/5 "2006-12-04T21:57:59Z")
[QUOTE=AWB] [QUOTE=Señor Piña] How many religious fundamentalists are homosexuals in denial? [/QUOTE] 52,346 [/QUOTE] I salute you, sir or madam. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 9:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868/6 "2006-12-04T21:58:30Z")
There’s a lot more to religious fundamentalism than gay bashing. And not all gay bashers are religious fundamentalists or even religious at all. If you’re brought up to think a certain way, and you don’t change the way you think, then what’s that to do with gaydom anyway? ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 10:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868/7 "2006-12-04T22:50:12Z")
All of them? ---
**Author:** ![Senor\_Pina](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ac8455/32.png) [@Senor\_Pina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senor_Pina)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868/8 "2006-12-04T23:42:57Z")
[QUOTE=Balthisar] There’s a lot more to religious fundamentalism than gay bashing. And not all gay bashers are religious fundamentalists or even religious at all. If you’re brought up to think a certain way, and you don’t change the way you think, then what’s that to do with gaydom anyway? [/QUOTE] I’m not saying that all gay bashers are religious fundamentalists, but people like Haggard and Phelps are so obsessed with every aspect of homosexuality it kind of makes you wonder. ---
**Author:** ![Manatee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@Manatee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manatee)\ **Post date:** [December 4, 2006, 11:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868/9 "2006-12-04T23:47:59Z")
The more rabid the rant, the deeper the closet. ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868/10 "2006-12-05T00:42:41Z")
On the broad big-picture scale? I speculate that probably a bit more percentagewise than in the general population, but not something huge, either;s just that those who are, have extra motivating factors to be specially intense about the rejection. Add also those who may not quite be, but upon experiencing an episode of sexual uncertainty, panicked about catching The Gay and then overcompensate. ---
**Author:** ![susan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/susan/32/17537_2.png) [@susan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/susan)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 1:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868/11 "2006-12-05T01:02:14Z")
> [@](#): > > He did get his 327J form filed by the 14th Damn! I knew I forgot to do something. ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868/12 "2006-12-05T02:05:09Z")
Are we talking only about Christian religious zealotry, or that of other religions? Speaking from memory, which may be off somewhat, something like 5-8% of the US population self-identifies as gay, and something over 90% Christian. I don’t know how someone would classify ‘zealous’ Christians out of that cohort, and I don’t have any reliable figures either way, but I’d be really surprised if the percentage of gay Christian zealots was much above that of the general poulation. In the case of Christians, many if not most varieties of the faith aren’t real enthusiastic about even hetero sex, particularly outside of marriage. Therefore, if there is a large number of Christians living “fear or denial of their sexual orientation”, it would seem just as likely they are straight as gay. ---
**Author:** ![FriarTed](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/friarted/32/1052_2.png) [@FriarTed](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriarTed)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868/13 "2006-12-05T02:05:33Z")
By the same logic of the homophobe=repressed gay, Der Trihs and badchad are on the verge of becoming Fire-Baptized, Blood-Washed Tongue-Talkers. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868/14 "2006-12-05T02:13:32Z")
[QUOTE=Autumn Almanac] I salute you, sir or madam. [/QUOTE] Shouldn’t that be “and/or”? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![intention](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e95f7d/32.png) [@intention](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/intention)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868/15 "2006-12-05T04:19:42Z")
[QUOTE=Señor Piña] Like the good pastor Haggard, for instance. Is it common for religious zealotry to be caused by a fear of or denial of one’s own sexual orientation? [/QUOTE] There was only one … but he got outed a couple weeks ago. Honest. w. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868/16 "2006-12-05T04:39:49Z")
[QUOTE=Señor Piña] Like the good pastor Haggard, for instance. Is it common for religious zealotry to be caused by a fear of or denial of one’s own sexual orientation? [/QUOTE] 42? Nope. I guess I’ll keep looking. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868/17 "2006-12-05T04:40:08Z")
[QUOTE=Señor Piña] Like the good pastor Haggard, for instance. Is it common for religious zealotry to be caused by a fear of or denial of one’s own sexual orientation? [/QUOTE] 1. Nope. I guess I’ll keep looking. ---
**Author:** ![BrainGlutton](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/82dd89/32.png) [@BrainGlutton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrainGlutton)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868/18 "2006-12-05T04:48:35Z")
[QUOTE=Señor Piña] **How many religious fundamentalists are homosexuals in denial?** [/QUOTE] And, more importantly, how many does it take to change a light bulb? 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/a4c791/32.png) [@Frustrated\_Wonderer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frustrated_Wonderer)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 5:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868/19 "2006-12-05T05:24:49Z")
[QUOTE=Rico] \ Factual answer not possible. I am denying that I ever moved this thread to Great Debates \ [/QUOTE] Did you ever move this thread to great debates? ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [December 5, 2006, 6:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868/20 "2006-12-05T06:23:43Z")
I think that there are a lot of gays in denial who compensate by being venemously anti-gay, like Haggard, but whether Phelps is among that group is another story. I hear a lot of people saying “well, to be that anti-gay, you’ve got to be gay yourself” and I don’t really think this is always true. I mean, were Adolf Eichmann, Heinrich Himmler and Josef Goebbels all closeted Jews? Did James Earl Ray actually have black ancestry? I mean, the “self-hating” complex makes for a more compelling story, but sometimes it’s just the plain old hatred of anyone who’s not like you. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-many-religious-fundamentalists-are-homosexuals-in-denial/382868.md?page=2)