Are there more homophobic straight people or more straight-o-phobic gay people?

Question

Like gays who are afraid of what straight people think of them? Gays who won't even use the word straight? Are closet gays straight-o-phobic?

Yikes- 3 thumbs down just for asking the question? And I thought it was a good question, too. I wonder if the thumbs down were from gays or the ever-present gay bashers? Interesting…

Thank you all for your thoughts and opinions. Especially those of you who took the question seriously and answered without judgment. But there is also a lot to be learned from the less friendly answers.

For a few of you that seemed a little defensive in your answers, it may be because you’ve been put down so much you are looking for an attack where there is none. Could it be you are putting forth the same negative attitudes you have come to expect/fear/loath from others? Could this be a kind of heterophobia?

To Tracer- Did I say something to make you think I was one or the other? I'm kind of glad you can't tell...

I'll choose best answer tomorrow... 'night

Answer 1

Since all gay people have straight parents, family and friends, it would be difficult to develop heterophobia. On the other hand, not all straight people have gay family and friends. Phobias develop because of a fear of the unknown and, since knowing what it it like to be gay is an unimaginable concept for many straight people, it is understandable that some become homophobic. This isn't a problem for we gay people because we have grown up around openly straight people and know what they are like.

Answer 2

You will probably be disappointed to hear that your question poses no problem for most Creationists -- because they don't accept the premise that "God made gay penguins". Christian Theology has for centuries emphasized the Bible's teachings that God created a perfect world but that the FALL (i.e. the introduction of human sin into that perfect creation) brought many changes. In that view, the "biggest" change was the introduction of death amongst a humanity which God had created to live forever without any sort of diminution, death, or decay. The Bible teaches that all sorts of imperfections, strife, and disease entered into the world and marred that original, perfect creation. Therefore, because there are many Bible passages which prohibit homosexual behavior, Christian theology has long assumed that that behavior was not a part of God's original creation. So on that basis, if you want an answer "from the Creationists", you are asking for an answer from the Bible (since that is the basis for Creationist theology). So you now know the answer: The Bible doesn't say that God made "gay penguins" nor did he create them with the predisposition to "steal babies from homophobic straight penguins." Therefore, the premise of your question is flawed -- and it most definitely does not pose any sort of dilemma for Creationists. (I have noticed that being unaware of the "theology of the Fall" is a common condition on this forum. Many assume that Christians believe that everything in the universe is today exactly as God originally created it -- and therefore if something exists, it is thereby God-created and good. But those who accept the Bible's teachings assume that all sin and imperfection in the universe is NOT a part of the original creation but came to be only AFTER humans first sinned. So whether critics agree with that idea or not, it explains why Creationists and many others are not perplexed by questions such as this "gay penguins" scenario.) Perhaps a more interesting question could be posed to those who explain all animal behavior in terms of the principles of evolution. Apparently, evolution has brought about the situation where "straight penguins" ostracize "gay penguins" -- and in so doing they reduce the "gay penguins" chances of survival. Since the mechanisms of evolution support those behaviors which encourage the survival of the fittest, should we assume that the ostracizing of "gay penguins" will lead to their extinction while supporting the evolutionary advancement of the majority straight population of penguins??? OK - I threw the survival of the fittest part in there, cos I want an answer from the Evolutionists, but it's a public forum, blah blah blah. [Yes, the last sentence is supposed to sound familiar.]

Answer 3

Certain gay people are afraid of what straight people will think because of so many homophobic individuals, so i guess i can see how you came up with straight-o-phobic.

Answer 4

Those people who are gay and afraid of straights, are afraid because of the way they've been treated by straights. Gays who are in the closet are obviously afraid of BEING gay, they're not afraid of straights....where do you get your weird ideas?

Answer 5

Excellent question. I think the answer is that there are more homophobic straight people than heterophobic gay people, but there's still far too much sexual-orientation phobia going around for any of it to be excusable. My reasoning is that a good deal of homophobia comes from religion (i.e. Christian Biblical teachings, whether you agree the evidence is there or not), and thus provides a sanctioned backing of being homophobic. Heterophobic gay people have no such moral ground to retreat to; there is no (to my knowledge) sacred testament somewhere that says "Should a man like down with a woman, they shall surely be put to death." or some such. With evangelical, literal-interpretation Christianity taking over in America, there are immensely more homophobic straight people (even if gays are tolerated, their viewing of it as disgusting and sinful is in itself rather homophobic). Also, there is the belief that heterosexuality is natural, mostly because it is the majority. Homosexuality is seen as a rare oddity that happens in 10% of the human population and in similarly low numbers in the animal kingdom. Be that the case or not, viewing heterosexuality as the majority puts homosexuality in the minority, and human beings have a strong tendency to fear that which is different. Homophobia also comes from those bad things associated (truthfully or not) with the gays: 1) AIDS, 2) cheating/lying (i.e. closeted married men), 3) extreme sexual practices (S/M, fisting, felching, public sex, etc.), 4) polyamory, 5) promiscuity, 6) child molestation, 7) porn/sex addiction, 8) drug use, 9) drag/transsexuality, 10) mental disease. Whether or not these are vicious myths or sad realities (indeed, whether or not some of these are even bad things- like polyamory, which works wonderfully for some), most of straight American is against, or rather, professes to be against, such things. Too, homophobia also is intertwined up in gender issues, although they are actually two separate things (sex and gender). Lesbians are generally viewed as masculine, gays as feminine- usurping traditional gender roles, which tends to get a lot of people angry and scared. To do anything which makes a man look like a 'sissy' is to possibly be labeled as gay, and while girls have some leeway in tomboyishness/tough girl, eschewing dresses or shortly cutting their hair may receive sniggers of 'dyke'. In this manner, homophobia is indeed intensely strengthened, since the question of whether the person is gay or not hardly matters, keeping straight people (or closeted gays) ever vigilant in their behavior and ready to keep others in that behavior as well. (Although other reasons for homophobia have to be established first for these slurs to mean anything). Such are the reasons for that.

Gay people can also be heterophobic, to the extreme- I've seen it. However, most go through experiences in their lives that generally help in sensitivity and understanding, so they are infinitely more open to other lifestyles, choices, etc.. But of course there are jerks everywhere. I've heard gays angrily snarl "breeder" at heterosexuals, as though that helps anyone or reclaims anything for their cause except more hate. But in my opinion, most of the heterophobia from the gay community is in retaliation more than anything else. It is a way to divide the world between gay and straight, thus aiding solidarity (not a method I approve of), and comes from an odd sense of superiority in the naturalness of one's sexual orientation- the same sentiment that homophobic straight people share. So overall, I think there are more homophobic straights than heterophobic gays.

For those who are closeted or out but afraid of what straight people will think of them, I don't know that I'd call that 'heterophobia'. I'm not quite sure what your questions mean, except if they are scared of backlash, in which case I'd say that's either a case of internalized homophobia (fear of elements of yourself or what you represent) or a very understandable fear of violence and other evils. Gays still get attacked, killed, fired, denied certain rights and privileges given freely to others when they come out- and the perpetrators are generally straight people. I'd be immensely straight-o-phobic if I were a closeted gay in that situation! And for those who are afraid of what straight people think of them, I feel it's a little case of internalized homophobia, although in some cases it is understandable: there are gay men who would never think to dress in drag, or wear leather chaps, or dance around gay parades in a chicken suit, and find that immensely embarrassing, detrimental to their cause, and overall, a spectacle that doesn't represent them. In cases such as that, it's not so much internalized homophobia, because they are afraid straight people will think that of them although it is untrue. Moreover, with all the myths out there (that gays have psychological disorders, that they molest children), coming out is all about wondering what straight people will think of you- the truth (you are sexually attracted to the same sex) or everything else that's out there.

Just my two itty bitty cents.

Answer 6

I'm not in the closet and my (straight) family and friends all accept me and love me for who I am. no, I don't care what straight people think of me, I'm not afraid of the word "straight" and don't hate straight people either.
people who are bigots are a different story....but then they are sub-human

Answer 7

Joto

Answer 8

I'd say there are more homophobic straight ppl then hetrophobic gay ppl....

Answer 9

never meet a straight-o-phobic but plenty of homophobics, which are you

Answer 10

The former.