Latent homosexuality is an erotic attraction toward members of the same sex that is not consciously experienced or expressed in overt action. This may mean a hidden inclination or potential for interest in homosexual relationships, which is either suppressed or not recognized, and which has not yet been explored, or may never be explored.

The term was originally proposed by Sigmund Freud. Some argue that latent homosexuality is a potentially iatrogenic effect (that is, it is not present until suggested by a therapist). Others argue that the term latent is not truly applicable in the case of homosexual urges, since they are often not in the unconscious or unexpressed category, but rather exist in the conscious mind and are repressed on a conscious level.

A theory that homophobia is a result of latent homosexuality was put forth in the late 20th century. A 1996 study from the University of Georgia by Henry Adams, Lester Wright Jr., and Bethany Lohr was conducted concerning this theory. The research was done on 64 heterosexual men, 35 of whom exhibited homophobic traits and 29 who did not. They were assigned to groups on the basis of their scores on the Index of Homophobia (W.W. Hudson & W.A. Ricketts, 1980). The groups did not differ in aggression.

Situational homosexuality may be due to exposure to a single-gender environment, such as a single-sex school, prison, or military service.

In fiction

In Kingsley Amis' 1966 book The Anti-Death League, the main character is introduced while resisting treatment for repressed homosexuality – which a doctor believes that he has – despite the man being openly homosexual.

Latent homosexual themes were a common theme of science fiction films of the 1950s.

In the 1999 film American Beauty, the character Colonel Fitts (Chris Cooper) is depicted as being a latent homosexual. Throughout the film, Fitts makes several statements that are narrow-minded and homophobic, and it disturbs the colonel that his son Ricky might be homosexual. However, toward the end of the film, it is revealed that Fitts has sexual feelings toward men when he approaches his neighbor Lester Burnham (Kevin Spacey) and kisses him, but Lester rejects Col. Fitts, and this greatly humiliates him.

Latent homosexuality was used a recurring joke on the television series Frasier and Arrested Development. Arrested Development – Psychiatrist Tobias Fünke (played by David Cross), who diagnoses patients as 'homosexual', is comically oblivious to his own signs of latent homosexuality.

See also

References

Sources

  • – The website describes this excerpt as an example of homophobia from the 1960s.