# Roy Moore -- self-hating closeted gay man?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [November 15, 2017, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676 "2017-11-15T08:24:40Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2017, 8:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676/1 "2017-11-15T08:24:40Z")
He’s another one of these noisy religious types that rant interminably about ‘homosexuals’. They all seem to eventually be exposed as self-hating gays, usually by young hustlers they have hired (usually with church funds), or young people they have molested. I casn probably recall a half-dozen of them without much thought. (Maybe there ought to be a Wikipedia page listing them all.)
Now when I read about someone devoting such efforts about ‘homosexuals’, the Shakespeare quote comes to mind: _“methinks he doth protest too much”_.
And now Roy Moore seems to be in trouble for his attentions to young girls. Really young, like 13 or 14. That age, they still look pretty much the same as teenage boys!
So I’m wondering – is it teenage boys that Roy Moore really wants?
But his fundamentalist religious upbringing won’t allow him to actually pursue (at least, not that we’ve heard of so far).
---
### Author:  [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2017, 8:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676/2 "2017-11-15T08:35:52Z")
I confess, when confronted by someone with vocal, virulent homophobic views my first instinct is to assume that they must be very insecure in their own sexuality and desires. That may be repressed homosexual thoughts or a general unhealthy relationship with sex. If it isn’t based on that well, why be so obsessed about what other grown-adults do in the privacy of their own home?
If that is the case then not only is it harmful to those they villify but also to their own peace of mind, especially for those trapped by a conservative religious dogma while being “tormented” by those very feelings you are forced to condemn. That must be terrible.
---
### Author:  [@rat\_avatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rat_avatar)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2017, 9:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676/3 "2017-11-15T09:06:13Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#):
>
> I confess, when confronted by someone with vocal, virulent homophobic views my first instinct is to assume that they must be very insecure in their own sexuality and desires. That may be repressed homosexual thoughts or a general unhealthy relationship with sex. If it isn’t based on that well, why be so obsessed about what other grown-adults do in the privacy of their own home?
> If that is the case then not only is it harmful to those they villify but also to their own peace of mind, especially for those trapped by a conservative religious dogma while being “tormented” by those very feelings you are forced to condemn. That must be terrible.
Yep, here’s the science.
> **[Aggression Toward Gay Men as Gender Role Enforcement: Effects of Male Role...](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2754233/)**
>
> This study examined sexual prejudice and masculine gender role stress as mediators of the relations between male gender norms and anger and aggression toward gay men. Participants were 150 self-identified heterosexual men who completed measures of...
> **[WHAT ACCOUNTS FOR MEN'S HOSTILE ATTITUDES TOWARD WOMEN?: THE INFLUENCE OF...](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3143459/)**
>
> This study examined masculine gender role stress (MGRS) as a mediator of the relation between adherence to dimensions of a hegemonic masculinity and hostility toward women (HTW). Among a sample of 338 heterosexual men, results indicated that MGRS...
> **[Manning up: Men may overcompensate when their masculinity is threatened](https://www.washington.edu/news/2015/06/22/manning-up-men-may-overcompensate-when-their-masculinity-is-threatened/)**
>
> From the old Charles Atlas ads showing a scrawny male having sand kicked in his face to sitcom clichés of henpecked husbands, men have long faced pressure to live up to ideals of...
Of course as the term has been weaponize in those circles it will be impossible to explain it as an example on how the patriarchy is harmful to men without causing “wailing and gnashing of teeth”
Fun with _toxic faux masculinity_
---
### Author:  [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2017, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676/4 "2017-11-15T13:55:06Z")
The victim who got the most attention was 14, because that’s statutory rape, but the other four woman who accused him were between 16-18.
---
### Author:  [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2017, 1:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676/5 "2017-11-15T13:59:38Z")
I find it unlikely that a gay man would molest teenage girls. Thirteen and fourteen year old girls are generally pretty ‘‘womanly’’ by that age. Why would he not molest boys instead? The sexual abuse of boys is almost as common as the sexual abuse of girls.
---
### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2017, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676/6 "2017-11-15T15:11:29Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#):
>
> The victim who got the most attention was 14, because that’s statutory rape, but the other four woman who accused him were between 16-18.
I don’t think the 14-year-old victim claims to have been raped. Does she? Your post doesn’t explicitly say it, but it can easily be read that way.
And I remember being 14, and the girls in my class didn’t resemble teenage boys. Plus, most of his victims seemed to be more like 16-18.
Of course, it’s possible Moore is a closet gay man, but the evidence offered in the OP doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.
---
### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2017, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676/7 "2017-11-15T15:32:33Z")
How is calling that piece of shit gay not offensive to actual gay people?
---
### Author:  [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2017, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676/8 "2017-11-15T15:55:14Z")
> [@t-bonham@scc.net](#):
>
> He’s another one of these noisy religious types that rant interminably about ‘homosexuals’. **They all seem to eventually be exposed as self-hating gays** …
I think the second part (my bolding) is over-generalization. Some people are just, you know, assholes.
(Stop that, Mr. Simpson.)
---
### Author:  [@HMS\_Irruncible](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HMS_Irruncible)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2017, 4:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676/9 "2017-11-15T16:11:00Z")
If Moore’s actions are supposed to be a closet cover story, this doesn’t seem like the best one. Dating numerous teen girls not only draws attention to your sex life but cuts into your valuable gay-sex-having time. In his case, I’m not buying it. It’s clear which honey pot he prefers to dip into.
---
### Author:  [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2017, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676/10 "2017-11-15T16:24:19Z")
I think he’s tortured by his skeevyness, but can’t rally against skeevy Christian dudes because 1. It would damn most of his supporters and 2. It would have made those women come out a lot sooner.
Instead he turned his tortured feelings to persecuting gays, so he could feel better about himself and win a ton of supporters.
---
### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2017, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676/11 "2017-11-15T16:35:35Z")
> [@HMS\_Irruncible](#):
>
> If Moore’s actions are supposed to be a closet cover story, this doesn’t seem like the best one. Dating numerous teen girls not only draws attention to your sex life but cuts into your valuable gay-sex-having time. In his case, I’m not buying it. It’s clear which honey pot he prefers to dip into.
I agree. Going after underage girls is not something somebody would choose as a cover story. If Moore was a gay man in denial, he would go after adult women in an attempt to show everyone he was “normal”.
I think the denial and self-hatred may be present but in Moore’s case it’s more generalized. Moore has a history of attacking people he sees as sexual degenerates as a psychological defense mechanism against his own sexual proclivities.
---
### Author:  [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2017, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676/12 "2017-11-15T16:54:26Z")
This whole approach annoys me more than it should, to be honest. People love to jump to the “he’s secretly one of the things he’s preaching against” conclusion, because it’s happened often enough in the past, and because we all love to see people we dislike exposed as hypocrites. But it’s become a lazy method of dismissing people and what they’ve done, and that’s not good. Plenty of people are shitty for a wide variety of reasons, and reducing them to one simple stereotype brushes all those other reasons under the rug instead of addressing what actual problems exist.
Also, there do exist people who take unpopular stances out of genuine, honest belief. They oppose gay marriage or abortion or whathave you not just to piss off the other side, but because that is what their sincerely held opinions compel them toward. Again, dismissing these people with this sort of generalization instead of being willing to engage them honestly and on their terms is counterproductive.
That all said, Roy Moore is a creepy scumbag who needs to disappear forever. I just don’t think there’s any reason to suspect he’s a closeted homosexual.
---
### Author:  [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2017, 4:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676/13 "2017-11-15T16:59:30Z")
> [@Smeghead](#):
>
> That all said, Roy Moore is a creepy scumbag who needs to disappear forever. I just don’t think there’s any reason to suspect he’s a closeted homosexual.
I think he learned early on that adult women weren’t interested in him and thought he’d try something else. I assume he found one teenage girl along the way who went along with his reindeer games and he thought he found a solution to his lonely self-loathing life, so he spent a few decades trying to find another one. Maybe he eventually learned that the vast majority of 13 to 18 year old girls couldn’t stand him either.
---
### Author:  [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2017, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676/14 "2017-11-15T17:05:24Z")
The downside of jabbing the religious right for supposedly being closeted gays, is that it looks like you’re blaming homosexual orientation for the shitty behavior of some of their heroes.
Maybe they’re just rotten people?
---
### Author:  [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2017, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676/15 "2017-11-15T17:18:55Z")
I doubt he is gay. He probably likes young girls because he feels they are easier to manipulate and control.
It’s usually various firms of ego defense mechanisms with these people. Projection or reaction formation come up a lot.
---
### Author:  [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2017, 5:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676/16 "2017-11-15T17:21:36Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#):
>
> I don’t think the 14-year-old victim claims to have been raped. Does she? Your post doesn’t explicitly say it, but it can easily be read that way.
>
> And I remember being 14, and the girls in my class didn’t resemble teenage boys. Plus, most of his victims seemed to be more like 16-18.
>
> Of course, it’s possible Moore is a closet gay man, but the evidence offered in the OP doesn’t stand up to scrutiny.
The 14 year old was statutory raped by Moore. The 16 year old was (attempted) forcibly raped by Moore.
---
### Author:  [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2017, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676/17 "2017-11-15T17:33:54Z")
> [@Novelty\_Bobble](#):
>
> I confess, when confronted by someone with vocal, virulent homophobic views my first instinct is to assume that they must be very insecure in their own sexuality and desires. That may be repressed homosexual thoughts or a general unhealthy relationship with sex. If it isn’t based on that well, why be so obsessed about what other grown-adults do in the privacy of their own home?
> If that is the case then not only is it harmful to those they villify but also to their own peace of mind, especially for those trapped by a conservative religious dogma while being “tormented” by those very feelings you are forced to condemn. That must be terrible.
The same thing is true with people who have an obsession with adult virgins. That’s NOTB either.
BTW, Moore has been married to the same woman since 1985. :eek: I wonder what kind of trainwreck she is, not to mention their FOUR children. I’m waiting for Sandusky-esque accusations to come out from the kids’ friends.
It’s not like nobody was on to him; that was obvious when I heard the story about him being banned from a shopping mall because he wouldn’t leave teenage girls alone.
---
### Author:  [@Spice\_Weasel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spice_Weasel)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2017, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676/18 "2017-11-15T19:22:43Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#):
>
> The 14 year old was statutory raped by Moore. The 16 year old was (attempted) forcibly raped by Moore.
That’s not at all what I read. I read an account in which he took her to some house in the woods, groped and kissed her and she begged him to take her home, so he did. So she wasn’t at all into it (and it wasn’t rape, not that I wish to minimize the damage he may have done.)
---
### Author:  [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2017, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676/19 "2017-11-15T19:24:43Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#):
>
> The 14 year old was statutory raped by Moore..
Per [this cite (see p18)](http://www.ncdsv.org/images/LevinGroup_StatutoryRapeStateLaws_12-2004.pdf), he’s guilty of “2nd Degree Sexual Abuse”. Rape involves penetration. I do not believe the 14-year-old girl is claiming penetration (or intercourse). Note that this cite also indicates that most states don’t use the term “statutory rape”, and that includes Alabama. So I’m not sure what your claim means, especially since [the girl is not claiming there was penetration.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roy_Moore#Alleged_sexual_encounters_with_teenagers)
> [@](#):
>
> On November 9, 2017, The Washington Post outlined an account of a woman, Leigh Corfman, who said that Moore initiated a sexual encounter with her in 1979, when she was 14 and he was 32 years old.[3] Corfman said that Moore met her and her mother in the hallway of the county courthouse, where Moore was working as an assistant district attorney, and offered to sit with Corfman while her mother went into a courtroom to testify.[3] Corfman said that during that discussion he asked for her phone number, and she gave it to him, and they later went on two dates.[3] For each date he picked her up in his car around the corner from her house, and drove her to his house.[3] The first time he “told her how pretty she was and kissed her”. On a second date, Moore allegedly “took off her shirt and pants and removed his clothes … touched her over her bra and underpants … and guided her hand to touch him over his underwear”.
I’m happy to be corrected if you wish to produce a cite that does so.
---
### Author:  [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)
#### Post date: [November 15, 2017, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676/20 "2017-11-15T19:44:36Z")
> [@Jackmannii](#):
>
> The downside of jabbing the religious right for supposedly being closeted gays, is that it looks like you’re blaming homosexual orientation for the shitty behavior of some of their heroes.
Does it? It strikes me more as blaming their religion for having a hang-up about homosexuality in the first place.
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/roy-moore-self-hating-closeted-gay-man/801676.md?page=2)