They often hate all women with but one exception: their mother. Occasionally some sister, aunt, or some friend of their mother’s is also exempted. They never fail to emphasize: this is an exception! But the law of bipolarity teaches us that alongside this tremendous hatred there exists an equally powerful love. Occasionally the dislike is hidden and the homosexuals pose as completely indifferent towards the other sex. A little close analysis shows that this attitude is an artefact, that the assumed indifference really covers the fear that the true attitude will be betrayed otherwise. Beyond the apparent indifference stands the fear of woman and back of that fear there may be hidden, in its turn, a sadistic attitude towards woman. It is thus that the homosexual learns to cover his feelings with one another, to change them, or else he transforms, substitutes, overstresses here and assumes indifference there, until his actual state of feelings is completely hidden from view. Superficial observers merely remark of some man: he hates women!...
What stands back of such a dislike has been pointed out by Bloch (l.c.) with considerable insight. He mentions the famous misogynist of Classical Greece, Euripides, and in that connection makes a very appropriate observation. He states:
“The strongest invectives against the female sex are found in Ion, Hippolytos, Hekate, and Kyklops of Euripides. (Verses 602-637, 650-655.) (Here he introduces the actual quotation.)
“These verses contain the whole quintessence of modern misogyny. But Euripides also discloses the ultimate background for this attitude: ‘The most wanton creature,’ he says in a fragment, ‘is woman.’ Hinc illæ lacrimæ! Only men who are not accustomed to woman, men who cannot endure to have her act with them as a free personality, and who are so little certain of themselves that they fear an inroad into their own personality, some irreparable damage or possibly complete annihilation, only such men are genuine women haters.” (Bloch, l.c., p. 533.)
Here Bloch has come close to a solution of the problem having plainly adopted the view developed later by Adler, who traces homosexuality to the fear of the sexual partner. Unfortunately he has failed to draw the further inferences which this excellent observation is capable of yielding.
Hate, fear, disgust and shame are the inhibitions which keep the homosexual away from the sexual partner.
Let us examine first the feeling of disgust. How does the feeling arise? In my study of Anxiety States I have explained this matter more fully. But there is a form of disgust whose action is positive. Disgust need not always be necessarily repressed desire. If I should see today a woman covered all over with furuncles it may inspire me with disgust to hear that she is an old aunt whom I must greet with a kiss. In a case of this kind only the super-analyst in his folly might be able to discover suppressed components of the libido.
But we do know that occasionally homosexuality may be aroused through episodes which enlist the negative reactions (hate, fear, disgust, shame). These revulsive effects then protect the individual against their own positive tendencies. Disgust covers craving, hate covers love, fear covers longing; and shame—boldness.
But indulgence in alcohol is capable of turning revulsive effects into positive. Disgust is turned into desire, hate into love, fear into longing and shame turns into daring. If the fearful, repressed sadism is also added to this transformation of the negative into positive affects, when it cannot be sublimated into lasting love, the moral man is turned into a criminal who represents but a stage in the development of the human race.