Did internalised homophobia spark Orlando nightclub attack?
Reports that Orlando gunman Omar Mateen had been a regular at the gay nightclub he attacked and used gay dating apps have led to speculation that he was motivated by internalised homophobia. But what is it, and could it have anything to do with the worst shooting in recent US history?
Investigators are still trying to establish what led a 29-year-old security guard from Florida to murder 49 people and injure dozens more as they partied in popular gay nightclub Pulse.
They are examining indications Mateen was inspired by radical Islamism, following revelations that he pledged allegiance to the Islamic State group and the FBI had investigated him twice previously for terror links.
Mateen's father also suggested his son had harboured strong anti-gay views, fuelling many people's belief that the attack was motivated by violent homophobia.
But as more information emerges about the killer's history, a more complicated picture is developing. Witnesses said Mateen had visited the Pulse club as a guest several times over the past three years and interacted with men on gay dating apps. His ex-wife, Sitora Yusufiy, told CNN it was possible he had hidden feelings about being gay.
It has led experts to question whether the gunman was spurred on - at least in part - by a powerful self-loathing about his own sexuality. Could he have been driven to hate and hurt others because he hated himself?
"Although it is not common, it's not unheard of for people to be violent to other people who are LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) as part of overcompensating for something that they are struggling with themselves," says Genevieve Weber, who has specialised in counselling people affected by internalised homophobia and now teaches counselling at Hofstra University in New York.
"It's could be part of the notion, 'If I differentiate myself enough, I can't be gay'."
Definitions of internalised homophobia vary, but it is essentially when LGBT individuals encounter negative beliefs in society towards the LGBT community, absorb those beliefs and accept them to be true.
Researchers say it happens involuntarily, and while Mateen would be a very extreme example, it is an issue that affects many LGBT individuals at some time in their lives.
"It's a really simple concept unfortunately," says Ilan Meyer, a senior scholar for public policy and sexual orientation law at the University of California, Los Angeles. "All members of society are taught about conventions. We learn about stigma and prejudices about certain groups from a very young age.
"So when a person begins to recognise that he or she is gay or lesbian, there is already that negativity."
Messages about homosexuality can come from multiple places, including family, school and the media, experts say.
Intolerance can be covertly communicated, perhaps through slurs or pejorative statements such as "that's so gay", or overtly, such as bullying or anti-gay teachings in religions that do not accept LGBT rights.
"There are many religions that are not homophobic," says Meyer. "But in some cases, when you are religious and you hear negative messages repeatedly from people who are the most valued in your community it is going to be a very painful lesson.
"Certainly in the evangelical Christian community in the US, for example, if you went to church every week you could learn horrible things."
Sohail Ahmed, a young Muslim man from London, says his struggles with his own sexuality led him to become increasingly extreme in his religious views - to the extent that he even considered staging a terrorist attack.
"One thing would keep coming up again and again was that you need to be more religious, worship more.
"It sounds really paradoxical… but I actually became more radical in an attempt to cure myself of homosexuality."
Ahmed says he hid his true sexuality from everyone he knew, and even began to believe he was "evil".
"I started thinking maybe I was gay as a punishment from God for something I had done. It was an absolutely horrifying feeling - waking up every day with this voice at the back of your head saying you're disgusting, you're evil.
"It was this endless cycle. It just increased my hatred for myself and other gay people. It was extremely destructive."
Ahmed later denounced his extremist views and now helps others turn away from radicalism. He has come out as gay and follows a progressive branch of Islam that accepts LGBT people.
But experts warn that internalised homophobia can also have a harmful impact on a person's mental health. It can cause depression and anxiety, leave people feeling unable to form intimate relationships, and lead them to make unsafe choices.
"Internalised homophobia is not in itself a mental health problem, but it causes mental health problems," says Meyer.
People affected need to understand it is a condition that can be worked through, says Genevieve Weber.
"With the right help from a counsellor or someone that really understands, people can be brought to the point where they love themselves and realise there is a whole community who will support them."
Both Weber and Meyer say educating society as a whole is crucial to enabling people to avoid developing internalised homophobia and its potentially damaging effects.
"School environments need to not only be accepting, but also teach kids about gay and lesbian society," says Meyer. He also encourages anyone who might be struggling with their sexuality to look for positive stories and images online.
Weber says it is important that the right help is at hand. "It's about having people in roles where they are showing acceptance, and ensuring that you have clinicians trained in understanding the issues who are accessible to people."
It is not yet known for certain whether Mateen experienced internalised homophobia - and whether he ever tried to get support.
For his part, Meyer says there is not enough research to prove a direct link between internalised homophobia and violent behaviour.
"But I know that Mateen would not be the first person to display homophobia internally and externally."
Examples could include instances where conservative, anti-LGBT politicians have been "outed" by the media as gay or lesbian, he says.
But when it comes to the Orlando gunman, this is one of many questions that remain unanswered.
Tags
Who is online
570 visitors
While I'm still waiting for the official investigation to be concluded, there does seem to be some strong indications that Mateen was a self-loathing gay man. He was raised in a hyper-religious environment (not unlike some of the more fundamentalist Christian churches) and taught that homosexuals deserved to die. It says this in both the Koran and the Bible. Yet if he was in fact gay, this would have caused an extreme conflict in himself about his own sexuality.
As I said, I'm still waiting for the official investigation to be finished, but there do seem to be many indications that this was much more a hate crime against the LGBT community by a sexually repressed gay man who simply could not come to a way to resolve what he was taught all of his life and what he himself felt inside. In this case I believe the Muslim religion comes into play only in that it caused him to hate himself to the point where it brought on a murderous mental illness.
It says this in both the Koran and the Bible.
Where specifically in the Bible? More to the point, where specifically does it command Christians to kill homosexuals?
Leviticus 20:13
Ah yes. Leviticus. What do you know about the book of Leviticus Randy? And how it pertains to Christians?
I report, you decide.
I do know that whenever so-called Christians want to condemn homosexuality the first book they reach for is Leviticus.
Asked and answered. Goodbye Bruce.
You're avoiding Randy. Not nice.
I'll give you a Bible lesson.
Leviticus was written during the period of Moses, Between the time of the arrival at Mt Sinai and their departure. It is an instruction to the Priests, and Israelites on their conduct while building the Holy Tent Sanctuary, and their encampment around the sanctuary.
Notice that I asked for the specific place in the Bible where it commands Christians to kill homosexuals. The reason I phrased it that way is because Christianity is based primarily on the New Testament, and the teachings of Christ. While Christians DO study the Old Testament, their doctrine is based on what Christ taught Christians.
The commandment of Leviticus to kill homosexuals does not apply to Christians because that commandment was not given to Christians. It was given to the Israelites.
The reason it doesn't apply to Christians is because the basis for Christianity is that Jesus Christ died for our sins on the cross. ALL the sins of the Old Testament were paid for on the cross. That doesn't mean that all sins go away. It means the punishment for the sin was a burden of Christ. No where in the New Testament does Christ teach us to kill anyone for any sin.
Yes, Christians still study the Old Testament. They do so for a better understanding of the New Testament. But the true Christian knows that the penalties for sin were paid for by Christ, and that believing in Christ, and in his teachings will wash our sins away.
Believe what you want. But nowhere in the Bible does it command Christians to kill homosexuals.
Well said. I've had to explain that multiple times, but certain folks won't learn for some reason...
You beat me to it Randy.
Leviticus 20:13
Also from your link;
Over the last few centuries, most Christians and Jews have rejected Leviticus 20:13. They no longer call on the death penalty for homosexuals. Only Christian Reconstructionists and a few Christian hate groups wish to revert to mass executions of gays and lesbians today.
Good thing radicals from any & all faiths have a hard time making laws in our country.
You beat me to it Randy.
LOL! It's a common line of BS here so I'm always ready for it.
must have missed this little titty-bit at the bottom of your own link to Leviticus
Over the last few centuries, most Christians and Jews have rejected Leviticus 20:13. They no longer call on the death penalty for homosexuals. Only Christian Reconstructionists and a few Christian hate groups wish to revert to mass executions of gays and lesbians today.
so Christian reconstructionists and Christian hate groups , I think they mean like westboro Baptists the nutbutters
so its been being rejected by mainstream Christian for few( few , 4-6?) CENTURIES( a century is 100 years) so that particular book of the old testimate has been ignored and rejected for 400 to 600 years .
That doesn't change the fact that when even mainstream Christians want to condemn homosexuality they reach for Leviticus to do so. They are very selective in which parts of it that they choose to use.
Sure. Because it is defined as a sin there. But they also follow up with Paul's letter to the Christians in Corinth (1 Corinthians 6:9-10) and his letter to the Christians in Rome (Romans 1:26-28). In those letters he confirms the sin. But he never tells the Christians to kill homosexuals.
I have never, ever seen that happen. Whenever I have seen even mainstream Christians and churches condemn homosexuality it is always Leviticus, period. I have once seen them ever follow up with any parts of the New Testament at all. Ever. It simply does not happen.
Cause you only pay attention to the radicals and nutcases to justify your own beliefs.
You truly ignore mainstream Christianity cause it doesn't fit your belief model.
False. Mainstream churches have never been shy about using Leviticus as and excuse to condemn homosexuality an never mention the New Testament. It has nothing to do with just nutcases.
It would seem that you avoid listening to what mainstream Christian churches say (or in this case, don't say) because it doesn't fit your belief model.
I grew up going to the First Baptist Church in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., every Sunday. I have never, ever heard of anyone in this mainstream, American Baptist Affiliated church say that ANYONE should be put to death. Ever. Period.
As Bruce states, the teaching/learning was always from the new testament, including Jesus' words to turn the other cheek. Really the only time we looked at the Old Testament was for baselines, like the book of Genesis. For rules about life, we always were in the New Testament.
So, now you've heard differently from a couple people, Randy, so you really should no longer say 'I never heard......' anymore. For an atheist or agnostic, you sure are conflicted about something you don't believe in.
You have a P&C problem Randy. You pick and choose what you want to believe in order to justify your position. Which leads you to formulate flawed reasoning. I was specific in my questions, because I knew you would fall into the trap of every other non-believer in trying to use Leviticus as a basis for condemning the Christian faith in their beliefs. You hear Leviticus and you stop right there. It has everything you need to form your opinion. But you fail to consider the other scriptures that every Christian believes, and that Christians use to understand what was being taught in Leviticus.
You fail to understand the purpose of Leviticus, it's history with the Israelites, and it's bearing on Christianity. In blunt terms, the New Testament supersedes the Old Testament. In a more in depth understanding, the Old Testament helps define the teachings of the New Testament. But as a non-believer, you fail to understand that.
This falls in the category of "if you don't know enough about the subject, best to not discuss it".
Asked and answered. I stand by my statements.
Yes, I am atheist. However I have read (many years ago) the KJV, the Catholic Bible and the Living Bible (which sucks! It's like a Readers Digest version and leaves out and changes the meanings of large parts of both Testaments.), cover to cover, the Catholic one twice and I still have my copy of it to refer to. So I still do know a few things about the Bible. I may be an atheist, but I can read and I can comprehend what I read.
Apparently not.
BTW, in the New Testament Christ (if he ever existed) never mentions homosexuality at all. The question of if it is a sin or not is only Paul's opinion and he never knew or met Christ. Some people believe that Christ was gay.
And NONE of that is the point for which he walked upon this earth. In fact that walk he took did more for Homosexuals than any other event in history.
If your really a Christian.
Christianity is not against homosexuality. That is between the individual and his god, which has NOTHING to do with me. (unlike what other people around here believe)
So do me a favor, do not make it about me or my christian beliefs.
No man knows when another comes to the father, and it is none of my business when (or even if) he does. All I need to know is that I will know my brother by his acts, not what he preaches.
Everything else is NOMDB!
If your really a Christian.
Fortunately for me, I am not.
Some people believe he was married also, though it really doesn't say, additionally, his bottom line was to love everyone.
Yeah Randy, stop picking and choosing. God only hated gays enough to execute them in a certain location and at a certain time. After that he decided to let them live, so he could send them to hell after they have lived a full life on earth. Is religion fun?
Randy I would say that is true for everybody , it is part of the human condition, and it is not limited to religion, it happens all the time and even you have done so yourself.
There was an excellent episode of The West Wing wherein President Bartlet (Martin Sheen) confronts a phone-in TV "doctor" in the White House about the many punishments in the bible, besides the homosexuality "abomination", in order to make her look foolish.
What a fucking joke. Christians picking and choosing what's important and what can be ignored in the Bible. You all are stuck in the mud of religion. Your so-called divinely inspired/authored doctrine has detestable things to say, and the mental gymnastics of explaining them away must be exhausting.
And your Christophobia is even more disgusting, especially when coupled with your hobby as an Islamacist apologist.
You should really do something about your thinkophobia. It's an embarrassment.
No, a islamic terrorist did. Its time to stop looking for answers everywhere else. Christians did not spark this. Rednecks did not spark this. Trump supporters...nope. Not a confederate flag in sight. Teachings of Muhammad sparked this. Look at many other muslim countries where homosexuals are punished, lashed, killed. Thats is where you look for the spark.