Homophobia

The term "homophobia" is constructed from Greek ?????? (homos), same and ????? (fobos), fear. It has two meanings. The less common or literal meaning is "fear of the same". It is, however, almost exclusively used in the alternate sense of an intense aversion to, or disapproval of, homosexuals and/or homosexuality, bordering on the irrational.

Homophobia as prejudice

Whether viewed as unfounded prejudices or legitimate moral opinions, anti-LGBT attitudes have been reflected in legislation and have had a profound impact on political debates over LGBT civil rights in general. They have also result in violence against LGBT people, sometimes by individuals, sometimes state-sanctioned or organized.

Related Topics:
Legislation - LGBT civil rights - Violence against LGBT people

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Many social and religious attitudes toward homosexuality are negative, which some might describe as homophobic. See Societal attitudes towards homosexuality and Religion and homosexuality.

Related Topics:
Societal attitudes towards homosexuality - Religion and homosexuality

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Psychology researchers have used the SDO and RWA measures to predict homophobic attitudes.

Related Topics:
Psychology - SDO - RWA

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Sexist beliefs

Some gender theorists interpret the fact that male-to-male relationships often incite a stronger reaction in a homophobic person than female-to-female (lesbian) as meaning that the homophobic person feels threatened by the perceived subversion of the gender paradigm in male-to-male sexual activity. According to such theorists as D.A. Miller, male heterosexuality is defined not only by the desire for women but also, and more importantly, by the denial of desire for men. Therefore, expressions of homophobia serve as a means of limiting those who they view as displaced in heteronormativity, and also of accenting their male nature, by isolating the threatening concept of their own potential feminity in gay men, and consequently belittling them, as not real males. They regard the reason male homosexuality is treated worse compared to female homosexuality as sexist in its underlying belief that men are superior to women and therefore for a man to "replace" a woman during intercourse with another man is his own subjection to (non-male) inferiority.

Related Topics:
Gender theorist - Lesbian - Gender paradigm - Sexist

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However, this view would imply that only the passive male partner in homosexual acts would be thought of as "offensive". Miller's specific claim that male heterosexuality does not require "desire for women" would seem to preclude the possibility of asexuality or bisexuality. Nor is it clear why male heterosexuals would "need" or even fear homosexuals in order to affirm maleness – unless their sexuality was already experienced as threatened by some other cause.

Related Topics:
Asexuality - Bisexuality

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Opposition to homophobia

To combat homophobia, the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) community uses events such as pride parades and political activism (See gay pride). Some parts of the festivities are criticized for reinforcing stereotypes about LGBT people (e.g. Dykes on Bikes, the prominence of cross-dressing, a gay male fascination with musicals, the colour pink, a sex-positive atmosphere that may seem to give endorsement to a promiscuous lifestyle which in turn relates to the problem of AIDS, etc). Other portions tend to challenge stereotypes, including the presence of religious organizations who support gay rights and oppose homophobia (See Religion and homosexuality), the families of LGBT people, and LGBT people with children. Much of the colour, glamour, and noise of pride parades can also be seen as a simple celebration of LGBT culture, or of life in general.

Related Topics:
Lesbian - Gay - Bisexual - Transgender - Pride parade - Political activism - Gay pride - Dykes on Bikes - Pink - Religion and homosexuality

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One form of organized resistance to homophobia is the International Day Against Homophobia (IDAHO), first celebrated May 17, 2005 in related activities in more than 40 countries http://www.emediawire.com/releases/2005/5/emw239185.htm.

Related Topics:
May - 2005

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Some activists also call homophobia straight supremacism equating it to white supremacism. Anti-gay groups see this as an attempt to marginalize those who disapprove of homosexuality.

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Besides public expression, specific laws have been made to oppose homophobia, as in hate speech, hate crime, and laws against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.

Related Topics:
Hate speech - Hate crime - Discrimination

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Some argue that anti-LGBT prejudice is immoral or unwise above and beyond the effects on that class of people. Warren J. Blumenfeld argues that this emotion gains a dimension beyond itself, as a tool for extreme far-right conservative and religious groups and as a restricting factor on gender-relations as to the weight associated with performing each role accordingly. Furthermore, Blumenfeld in particular claimed:

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:Anti-gay bias causes young people to engage in sexual behaviour earlier in order to prove that they are straight. Anti-gay bias contributed significantly to the spread of the AIDS epidemic. Anti-gay bias inhibits the ability of schools to create effective honest sexual education programs that would save children's lives and prevent STDs{{fn|3}}.

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