What do Sen. Larry Craig from Idaho, Rev. Ted Haggard from Colorado, and Congressman Mark Foley of Florida all have in common?  Well, besides being the focus of GaySOFLA writer G.P. Harris’ satirical arrows, they also all acted sexually on the DL.  The “down low” is an expression that developed in the African-American community, specifically among the youths who consider themselves Thugs. 

Thugs, of course, are self-anointed tough guys - wannabe or pseudo criminals.  They also invented that hot fashion statement of wearing fat guy pants that hang down to their butts.  DL is a pretty recent expression, often superseding the old and venerable “in the closet”.  But they mean essentially the same thing.  The closet connotes hiding, darkness, and secrecy.  DL seems to connote “under the radar” or behavior that no one sees or notices.  But Craig, Haggard, and Foley are not harmless and unhappy like most people who try to hide who they are.  They (and many like them) are dangerous!Here’s why: These guys are public figures.  Their Down Low is really, really low down; their closets are cavernous.  They fear the punishment of society, which in their cases means loss of their jobs.  Of course, they eventually lost their jobs anyway.  Why?  Because in their fear they developed what we shrinks call a “reaction formation”. 

A person develops a reaction formation when they have an urge to say or do something and then actually say or do something which is effectively the opposite of that.  So these three characters all wanted to engage in sexual play with other guys.  We know that in two of the three cases, they in fact did.  But from their closets they wrote and delivered speeches about the anti-family horror of gay activity, gay marriages, and the moral mayhem that would ensue if we legally condoned “their kind”.  They aimed their moral guns at gay people in order to be on the “us” side of “us and them”.  “I can’t possibly be gay”, their actions stated.  “Look how I attack homosexuality”.  Their falls were so steep (and enjoyed by most of us I suspect) precisely because of this hypocrisy.  This is not unconscious stuff.  These creeps knew exactly what they were doing.  Their conscious dishonesty is what is so maddening.  Being uncomfortable with the idea of homosexuality is one thing, attacking it is another!

So why am I kicking these guys when they are so obviously already down?  Well, they are not alone.  Reaction formations are at the root of gay bashings.  People who gay bash are beating up unwanted but acknowledged pieces of their own personalities.  It’s true.  Otherwise, they would simply ignore gay folks.  But they actively seek them out and beat them, as if beating their feared secret out of themselves. 

There are others too:  that coach who is merciless towards gay kids.  There’s the playground bully who makes fun of “faggy” kids.  And how about recent events in Ft Lauderdale?  There were three or four people arrested in that town within the last five years for having sex in public places.  So, why are Mayor Naugle and all those ministers in such a lather about homosexual activities?  Kind of seems like shooting a fly with an elephant gun to me.  Could there be some reaction formations in there?  Perhaps! It sure would be an interesting place to look.

Hate crimes, be they physical or verbal, legislative or religious, gross or subtle, will be with us for as long as there is fear and greed.  People attack others who are like them to boost themselves up.  That is reaction formation and it is as old as history.  The real fight should not be to unmask these hypocrites.  They seem to be doing a pretty good job of it themselves.  No, the real fight is to educate the majority, the 96% of the world who is heterosexual, that they have nothing to fear from gays but lots to fear from those who attack gays.  Doing that would be a public service!

Dr. Jim Scott is a clinical psychologist and the Assistant Director of The Student Counseling Centerat Barry University in Miami Shores. Dr. Scott’s Psyked Column appears regularly in GaySoFla Magazine.   Please submit all questions and correspondences to:  
Jscott@mail.barry.edu.