> the finding provides more evidence that the so-called gay panic defense  the assertion that a persons sexual orientation can trigger a crime against them  is bunk. the defense was used by the two men who beat, tortured and murdered gay student matthew shepard in 1998. > whatever is happening physiologically when someone witnesses same-sex pda, it is not something so strong, or so uncontrollable as to explain the patterns of violent lgbtq-hate crimes that have been repeatedly reported in the media, blair told psypost. clearly, the large majority of individuals who witness same-sex pdasdo notrespond with violence, indicating that whatever small physiological response we are noticing here is not evidence for an uncontrollable or overwhelming fit of panic, as suggested by the gay panic defense. > why do people low in prejudice still show an increased physiological response? we cant say definitively, however, it could be that society has socialized the notion of same-sex sexuality and affection as being disgusting or immoral so strongly, for so long, that merely witnessing it causes a slight physiological stress response. it would be interesting for future research to examine whether this physiological effect is more likely to be found in cultures that still evidence high levels of prejudice compared to those who have made more progress towards normalizing same-sex affection and sexuality. the study is the first of its kind, and the researchers hope that future research will strengthen their findings. there are also some questions that additional research could help answer.
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