Which is greater, RACISM or HOMOPHOBIA?

Question

Basically I ask this question because I FEEL that Racism is going to dissapear, LONG BEFORE homophobia.

Which do you think is more dominant, Homophobia or Racism?

The best way I think you can visualize this quesiton is to ask yourself, if given the choice to live with either a homosexual (the same gender as yourself) or a member of the "race" that you personally don't like (or hate) the most - which would you choose?

Answer 1

My husbands paternal side of the family (his fathers family) are still very much racist. My husbands sister (white) married her husband (black) and had children (mixed race). My husbands grandmother (she would be great grandmother to the children of my husbands sister) wouldn't even visit her great grandchildren because they are partially black. My husbands uncle won't acknowledge his grandchild because his daughter created that child with a Mexican man.

Then again... a woman I grew up knowing, a friend of the family since my infancy, has disowned her own brother. Her brother is gay and has been living in happiness and fidelity with his partner of 15+ years, and she joined a congregation a few years back that convinced her the best approach is to pretend he doesn't EXIST until he "stops going through his sinful phase". My aunt has been denied work at several law firms because she is a lesbian. That's not supposed to happen, but it does. A person my husband used to work with has his windshield smashed at least 20 times a year because people find out he's gay.

So..... I don't know which is worse. I think homophobia is much more ACCEPTABLE and VISIBLE, or at least it's very easy to LEGISLATE at this juncture.

I don't see the point in choosing which "kind" of person I'd live with. If they were reliable, decent, hard working, honest, compatable with my personality and style of living (by which I mean I wouldn't want a partier or drug user living with me as I am neither), then I wouldn't care if the person is gay or of another race.

Answer 2

Homophobia is a form of racism. In fact, both concepts are based on a fundamental misconception about the nature of humanity.

Racism assumes that there are distinct 'races' of human being. This is simply not true. Any differences you might see between humans alive today are very, very superficial. All humans alive today share a common ancestor as recently as 50,000 ago. That's not enough time to evolve true racial differences.

The other misconception is that homosexuality is somehow a distinct 'trait' or behavior common to a select group of people. This is simply not the case. Humans (and all animals) have a wide variety of sexual behaviors across a broad spectrum of activity, where any individual is as different as the next in terms of what behavior they might engage in. There is no 'class' of homosexuals or specific set of behaviors that define homosexuality as a syndrome. The American Association of Physciatry has described this in some detail, but most people don't really understand it and instead choose to hold on to stereotypes.

So, basically, its more a matter of education and literacy that will determine when racism and homophobia end. Given our current cultural and political leadership, I'm not at all hopeful that it will be soon, unfortunately.

Answer 3

I hate to say it but both seem like losing battles. One step forward and two steps back! As you can probably tell by my avatar, I'm a lesbian so I cop the homophobic taunts and comments so I would say that homophobia seems like it's winning and losing in certain areas. The push to eradicate homophobia is winning on a personal level but at the level where it really matters to some of us, nothing's changing. If I was straight and not "white" I would probably answer this differently as I would have an entirely different perspective.

Looks like you've opened up a "Pandora's box" there....

Answer 4

I think it depends where you live. If you live in somewhere like britain, which is more multicultural than other places, racism would not be an issue, so homophobia would be more of an issue. If you live or work somewhere where you are more subject to homosexuals, then that would not be as much of an issue, so racism would be higher.

I personally am neither, and have friends which are homosexual and friends of different races.

Answer 5

Racism, alot of it is still going strong. Only a small population are homophobic, but it seems wherever you go you hear racism. Just look on TV, you see way more racism then you do homophobia. Oh, I was answering your main question, by the way. I'm not sure about that bottom question though.

Answer 6

Racism

Answer 7

Racism was before Homophobia, because God made animals before he made Adam and Eve who still had have babies that had to have their own babies. Reason? Animals group according to kind and don't mix with others, some people act like animals too. I guess Racism will last longer, even though homophobia is catching up very quickly!

Answer 8

Racism is a form of discrimination, and so is homophobia. Racism will never die. Just when we begin to get over blacks, we have found a new one in middle-easterners. When we get over them, we will hate someone else, like Eskimos. Human ignorance is a fact of life. I personally would live with a homosexual AND a person of a different race. I have very good gay friends and very good "non-caucasian" friends.

Answer 9

I feel that Racism will outlast Homophobia. Which is sad that either has to be in the world.

As far as who would I choose to live with.... I think I would have to say I would want to live with a homosexual that is NOT of my own ethnicity.

Answer 10

Hmm, an interesting question. Unfortunately, I don't feel either one is going to go away soon.

I don't think I would have an objection to living with someone of a different race or sexual orientation. After all, it's not something they chose nor can do anything about, so it's not like it's anything "wrong."

Imagine how boring this world would be if we were all exactly the same! We learn from different people, ideas, and cultures.