One minute, they’re preaching about the menace of gay marriage. The next, they’re caught soliciting gay hookups at the gloryholes of public bathroom stalls.

Conservative men in positions of power have a strange tendency towards this type of homo-hypocrisy. Now, social psychologists are starting to ask why.

Why did staunch anti-gay activist George Rekers take a vacation with a young male escort he found on RentBoy.com? Why did Ted Haggard, a famous evangelical pastor, advocate for a ban on same-sex marriage in the state of Colorado, while simultaneously smoking crystal meth and fooling around with a gay prostitute? Why did Mark Foley, a Republican member of the House of Representatives, send dick pics to his young, male interns?

Research points to myriad explanations, including homophobic men are closeted gays themselves; they’re the victims of an authoritarian upbringing; or their strict religious identity overpowers their sexual identity.

First, the theory that anti-gay public figures are secretly flaming homosexuals. There’s actually scientific proof that this is true.

A 1996 study published in the Journal of Abnormal Psychology found that “homophobia is associated with homosexual arousal.” The researchers showed different types of porn to homophobic and non-homophobic men, and found that only the homophobic men exhibited greater genital arousal while watching a video of dudes doin’ it in the butt.

Afterwards, the men with the most anti-gay attitudes reported not being sexually aroused by the gay male sex videos. But, their penises reported otherwise.

Research can also explain why homophobic men are unaware of, or outright deny, their secret love of dick. Some studies suggest the men’s parents may be to blame, for raising their boys in an authoritarian setting that destroys any sense of independence. When parents are overly-controlling of their children’s beliefs and behaviors, the kids shut out aspects of themselves they see as unacceptable.

Sometimes, an oppressive mom and dad will even make their love contingent on Sonny living up to their strict standards. As a result, Sonny leads a life consistent with his parents’ desires, even if they’re completely different from his own.

For example, he wants to gallivant around the gay club, grinding on bears and giving rimjobs to strangers by the urinals. Instead, he ends up a Bible-thumper on the campaign trail, preaching on about abstinence and family values.

Then, there’s the theory that religious beliefs overwhelm the temptation for man-meat — at least until you spot a hunky teenager across the room at a conservative event, and can’t help but fondle him.  

For many of these men, deeply ingrained religious identity is more central to their sense of self than their sexual identity. Their conflicting beliefs and behaviors create cognitive dissonance, a state of anxiety that won’t go away until they fix the inconsistencies.

Time and time again, public figures are caught with their pants around their ankles. Sometimes, they’re anti-LGBT zealots humping young studs solicited on Grindr. Sometimes, they’re radical pro-lifers encouraging their pregnant mistress to get an abortion. In any case, their sex lives naturally attract endless condemnation given the infuriating inconsistencies between what they practice and what they preach.

We’re looking at you, Mike Pence.