Abstract
Due to the heterosexist ideals associated with gender norms, gay men often experience negative attitudes towards their own sexuality—internalized homophobia. As a result, gay men often feel compelled to compensate for their perceived lack of masculinity. The study aimed to investigate the relationship and predictive power of masculinity on gay men’s experiences of internalized homophobia. A sample of 489 self-identified Australian gay men 18–72 years old participated in an online survey on masculinity and homosexuality. Descriptive statistics, bivariate correlations, and sequential multiple regressions were used to test the study’s aims. Sequential multiple regressions revealed that conformity to masculine norms and threats to masculinity contingency were stronger predictors of internalized homophobia over and above demographic and other factors. Given the already known psychological risks associated with social isolation, internalized homophobia, and the poor mental health outcomes associated with sexual minority groups, it is suggested that gay men who are experiencing high degrees of internalized homophobia should not be distancing themselves from other gay men but, conversely, seek a strong relationship with the LGBTI community.
Highlights
IntroductionThe socio-ecological environment of a gay man includes a complex network ranging from the macrosystem—including broader social structures and ideologies—to the microsystem—including their family and close social networks which progressively shapes (and is shaped by) the individual [1,2,3]
Like any individual, the socio-ecological environment of a gay man includes a complex network ranging from the macrosystem—including broader social structures and ideologies—to the microsystem—including their family and close social networks which progressively shapes the individual [1,2,3]
Gay men often experience a higher degree of negative attitudes, abuse, and extreme states of mind in response to internalized homophobia [6,7,8,9] as well as greater violence and discrimination based on gender norm violation as compared to lesbian, bisexual, and genderqueer women who tend to benefit from such deviations [10]
Summary
The socio-ecological environment of a gay man includes a complex network ranging from the macrosystem—including broader social structures and ideologies—to the microsystem—including their family and close social networks which progressively shapes (and is shaped by) the individual [1,2,3]. Sexual minority individuals often experience negative attitudes towards their own sexuality—internalized homonegativity [5]. Gay men often experience a higher degree of negative attitudes, abuse, and extreme states of mind in response to internalized homophobia (e.g., suicide and homicide) [6,7,8,9] as well as greater violence and discrimination based on gender norm violation as compared to lesbian, bisexual, and genderqueer women who tend to benefit from such deviations [10]. Numerous studies have made connections between internalized homophobia and depression, poor wellbeing, sexual discrimination, shame, body dissatisfaction, eating disorders, and suicidal ideation [11,12,13,14,15]. Unlike cisgender men, transgender men experience a reduction in mental health issues and more positive wellbeing
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