# If a homophobic person discovered he was gay...

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-homophobic-person-discovered-he-was-gay/103239>\
**Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\
**Created:** [April 12, 2002, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-homophobic-person-discovered-he-was-gay/103239 "2002-04-12T14:30:10Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![berdollos](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ed8c4c/32.png) [@berdollos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/berdollos)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2002, 2:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-homophobic-person-discovered-he-was-gay/103239/1 "2002-04-12T14:30:10Z")

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would he be afraid of himself?

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**Author:** ![MrVisible](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/46a35a/32.png) [@MrVisible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrVisible)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2002, 2:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-homophobic-person-discovered-he-was-gay/103239/2 "2002-04-12T14:32:01Z")

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Meet [Fred Phelps.](http://www.godhatefags.com)

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**Author:** ![andygirl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a9adbd/32.png) [@andygirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andygirl)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2002, 2:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-homophobic-person-discovered-he-was-gay/103239/3 "2002-04-12T14:49:25Z")

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It’s my belief that some (certainly not all) homophobes are that way because they are deeply afraid of themselves. I was homophobic for a time before I came to terms with being gay. Some people just never come to terms.

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**Author:** ![scott\_evil](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/91b2a8/32.png) [@scott\_evil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scott_evil)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2002, 2:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-a-homophobic-person-discovered-he-was-gay/103239/4 "2002-04-12T14:57:38Z")

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This one guy in high school would call my boyfriend a faggot. So where do they bump into each other? A gay club. Quelle surprise.

And, as I mentioned in another post, one of Aaron Fricke’s (_Reflections of a Rock Lobster_) homophobic tormentors ended up gay.

I think a lot - not the majority, though - of homophobes are that way because they loathe themselves and by acting outwardly homophobic they subconsciously think they can convince themselves that they’re not gay.

Don’t get me started on the internalized homophobia of a lot of “out” gay guys…

- s.e.