Is Rick Santorum Gay? New Study Says Homophobes May Dig the Same Sex

Republican presidential hopeful Rick Santorum

Do you hate gays and lesbians with all your heart and soul? We've got news for you: a new scientific report says you may actually have same-sex desires yourself. Does this mean that Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum is gay? Hmmmmmm...

Conducted by a research team from the University of Rochester, the University of Essex, England, and the University of California in Santa Barbara, the study breaks ground in documenting that "homophobia is more pronounced in individuals with an unacknowledged attraction to the same sex and who grew up with authoritarian parents who forbade such desires," a press release from the University of Rochester states.

To be honest, we're not surprised. It seems like some kind of Law of the Universe that well-known, homophobic politicians and ministers inevitably get caught in a gay sex scandal at one point or another. Remember U.S. Senator Larry Craig or Pastor Ted Haggard?

The study shows that "both parenting and sexual orientation play in the formation of intense and visceral fear of homosexuals, including self-reported homophobic attitudes, discriminatory bias, implicit hostility towards gays, and endorsement of anti-gay policies," states the press release.

"Individuals who identify as straight but in psychological tests show a strong attraction to the same sex may be threatened by gays and lesbians because homosexuals remind them of similar tendencies within themselves," says Netta Weinstein, a lecturer at the University of Essex and the study's lead author.

"In many cases these are people who are at war with themselves and they are turning this internal conflict outward," says co-author Richard Ryan, professor of psychology at the University of Rochester.

Santorum, who's fighting Mitt Romney for the Republican presidential nomination, has long been a leading voice against gay rights and gay sex. He can't keep his mouth shut about the gays, often wrapping his arguments around notions of what's best for society and family.

"If the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex within your home," Santorum told the Associated Press, "then you have the right to bigamy, you have the right to polygamy, you have the right to incest, you have the right to adultery. You have the right to anything." and "Whether it's polygamy, whether it's adultery, whether it's sodomy, all of those things, are antithetical to a healthy, stable, traditional family."

The new study is certainly food for thought for Santorum and anyone else who slams gays and lesbians.

Contact Patrick Range McDonald at pmcdonald@laweekly.com.

Follow McDonald on Twitter and his Facebook page.

Tags:

homophobia, Patrick Range McDonald, Rick Santorum, study, Ted Haggard, University of California Santa Barbara, University of Rochester

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Jorge Talmage

if he looks gay, quacks gay. and prays gay then I say who cares anyway

Naya Aerodiode

In that picture, Rick Santorum is showing you his preferred penis size. "I like ones that are about this big."

Does Naya have a Penis

So are you saying your penis is his preferred size?

Obama roxxor

shut the fuck up

Greg

Wow, you did it again. You are so far out in left field, its unbelievable. You have to be some adolescent boy who is using is daddy's sign on. No thinking, reasonable educated adult could come up when any of your comments.

wetcasements

Why do all these gay guys keep sucking my cock?

robroberts2009

It may never be proven, but to me it is screamingly obvious that little Ricky is gay, gay, gay. It practicaly oozes out of every pore of his being -- he seethes with gay desire and gay rage. It is practically all that is on his mind. As President, he would basically outlaw gays. And the way he wants to invalidate all existing gay marriages, and destroy gay families and stability -- sorry Ricky, vindictiveness is not an attractive look on you. My ome wish for you Ricky -- either find a man to fill your burning hole of desire, or find a way to just STOP thonking about gays. Your poor little mind is so torn in two you imagine us to be the great enemy. But please Ricky, start by accepting yourself and stop externalizing your damaged psyche.

H876100

53% of people on www.gayorrepublican.com agree that santorum is gay

drem

This is the biggest "no shit" there is. You don't need a degree in psychology to know that people who hate something so fiercely usually are angry that they are the very thing they claim to hate. But it doesn't hurt if you have a cigar...

Stanley J

its not even an issue anymore except for the self haters who dont have the b@lls to admit they are gay.

Stanley J

tHIS HAS ALL BEEN KNOWN FOR A long time. Take George Rekers, founder of the hate group FRC, and also former head of Narth ("fixes gays" - yeh sure, just like we can fix heteros to become gay

He's #1 on this list. The politicians btw are mosltly repubs Alos not a few of them who are well known pastors -

http://www.ranker.com/list/top...

here in MD 3 of the top anti gay rights legislators are known to be gay. One of them - his wife finally left him. I knew kids who knew his kids. They said he was nuts. I knew him 30 yrs ago in Business - his fellow employees said he was strange

Obviously not all, but the worst of the worst are generally secretly gay, they have internalized their self hatred. and throw it out on others to deflect the truth.

rtqp

whether or not he's gay, rick santorum is a supremely disturbed individual.

Eddie Sullivan

Rick Santorum Stars in an 80's New Wave Video :http://digg.com/news/politics/...

Obama hates Gays

If this blog post is correct, and since Obama rarely talks about gays and lesbians, that must mean he hates them. So don't vote for Obama. Vote for Romney and his gay friend Rick Santorum.

Clarion_71

I think your logic (actually, your lack of logic) needs a bit of work. The prez doesn't need to talk about homosexuality because it's not even an issue.

Obama hates Gays

Interestingly in the LA Times today, on the front page, they were discussing that Obama and the Democrats need to make a stand on gay marriage. So you are very wrong, it is an issue. Instead of telling other people that their logic needs work, maybe you should invest some of your time reading and giving your brain a workout. It needs it.

Greg

Whose "they"? I think the point here is that the most vocal anti-gay people are the ones most likely to be struggling with their own self loathing about having a same sex attraction. Since, Republicans in general and Santorum specifically are the ones who spew out anti gay vitriol the most, this is why the article is about Santorum. The article has nothing whatsoever to do with public issue of gay marriage, only gay hating bigots and the possible reason for such hatred. I'd suggest you give your brain a workout but apparently you don't have one. Suggesting that a person who doesn't public speak about homosexuality must hate gay people is Palin-esque and beyond stupid.

Vintmac

That's an idiotic headline, pandering to the lowest common denominator (youths who are dumb enough to use "gay" as an insult, and those who are, indeed, homophobic). The study concluded that homophobics have had an attraction for someone of the same gender, even if it was only for a few minutes, hours, whatever. Which merely points out the mutability of the sexual nature of humans in general. As for the recent study and the findings thereof, and all of the papers trumpeting the headlines : it's like coming out (pun intended) and saying, "the sky is blue". Stating the obvious.