THE 'ICK' FACTOR

The Bilerico Project does an excellent job describing the research from a study:  the correlation between homophobia and disgust.

But the researchers equate the form of disgust:  a subject is easily upset by bugs, poop or mold.

Findings:

It explains why homophobes try to link gays to sodomy, STD's, "plumbing," feces, and children (the purest people around who need to be protected from all this dirtiness). They can't avoid it themselves - they've made the link between homosexuality and disgust and can't help but feel it every time the topic is brought up.

It also explains why gay activists try to do the opposite and clean up our collective image for ballot initiatives, going so far as to scrub the gay away. They're trying to avoid a psychosomatic reaction to homosexuality itself that can't be eliminated in a short campaign season.

And then there's the link between disgust and internalized homophobia that goes deeper than religious condemnation or literal interpretations of heaven and hell (especially evidenced by non-religious, progressive queers who have to get over self-hatred for their sexuality anyway). I'm sure this is the sort of thing that's hard to detect oneself, but it does explain a lot if we're physically disgusted by our own selves.