Gay Men’s Perceptions of Disgust Towards Their Social Group

Over the past two decades, research has consistently reported a relationship between the emotion of disgust and homonegativity toward gay men. Yet these investigations have focused exclusively on heterosexual individuals’ perceptions of the emotion, leaving gay men’s own perspectives on disgust directed toward their social group unconsidered. The present online qualitative study addressed this gap by examining how exclusively gay men residing in Canada (N = 22) understand disgust in relation to their own social group. Using thematic analysis, four themes emerged: 1) Sex and Intimacy, 2) Disrupting Heterosexual Norms, 3) Pathogen Threat, and 4) Gender Expectations. These findings offer new insight into how disgust is understood and negotiated by gay men. Implications, as well as limitations of the study, are discussed.