i'm just wondering...it's a question out of my curious nature, not bigotry...
why is it called homophobic? if someone doesn't like gay people, they're not necessarily afraid of them...right?
like, i don't like it when people wear those ugg boots...does that mean that i'm afraid of people who wear ugg boots? no...
they're a bigot, not homophobic...right?
2007-01-14 12:59:46 · 14 answers · asked by DeceptiConservative 4 in Society & Culture ➔ Cultures & Groups ➔ Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender
Most if not all of hate is based on IGNORANCE. Ignorance allows FEAR, which is what a PHOBIA IS. Thus Homo = same, Phobia = fear.
In other words, if they were educated, not biased and/or prejudiced they wouldn't have the phobia of same sex love and attraction. So, yes, its Homophobia.
2007-01-14 13:08:42 · answer #1 · answered by AdamKadmon 7 · 3⤊ 3⤋
That word is used on the false assertion that most people who hate do so out of fear. Why didn't they coin mishomopathy or some word that suggests hate or dislike? Really, why not simply call it bigotry or bias?
Nowadays, the word homophobia is thrown around so much that it really means little. It is a word that gay people like to use whenever they are the least "offended."
2007-01-14 21:10:07 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
Ehh, it's just a phrase, really. But it could come from the idea that some guys act as bigots towards gay men because they aren't completely secure in their own sexuality...so their fear triggers their bigotry. Or how some people are afraid that accepting, or even tolerating gays (or their decision to act on their sexuality) will destroy society (a fear that acts against logic, much like a phobia).
These are only my guesses.
2007-01-14 21:06:47 · answer #3 · answered by lateralus28117 2 · 1⤊ 1⤋
Homophobia is the fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals. It can also mean hatred, hostility, or disapproval of homosexual people, sexual behavior, or cultures, and is generally used to assert bigotry. The term homophobic means "prejudiced against homosexual people", and a person who is homophobic is a homophobe.
People begun to use it in the 1900's to refer to people that had fear of being identified as a homosexual.
Similar terms such as heterosexism have been proposed as alternatives which are more morphologically parallel, and which do not have the association with phobia; like Heterosexism which refers to the privileging of heterosexuality over homosexuality.
2007-01-14 21:08:05 · answer #4 · answered by _Bizi Poz_ 3 · 0⤊ 2⤋
It's partly an evolution of the language, and partly a recognition that MUCH of the hatred does indeed stem from an irrational fear. (You'll note the use of "much" and not "all").
Also, the word "homophobia" is very often used where the word "heterosexism" would be more appropriate, but that's a completely seperate issue.
2007-01-14 23:44:14 · answer #5 · answered by Atropis 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I think many homophobic people afraid that the gays will "spread something" to them. I got gay friends and they are normal people like us. Nothing special except that they prefer se\ame sex in bed.
2007-01-15 04:30:52 · answer #6 · answered by Fish Master 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
You're right.
The word homophobic is overused, and often incorrectly used.
It's supposed to used to describe a person who has a fear of homosexuals not a person who disagrees with their opinions.
2007-01-14 21:11:36 · answer #7 · answered by Dr. D 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Its more of a left-wing political perjorative than an accurate discriptive.
2007-01-14 21:09:24 · answer #8 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
People don't like gay people because they are afraid of them. If they weren't afraid of them, they would like them because most gay people I have met are really great people. Open your mind.
2007-01-14 21:04:50 · answer #9 · answered by Vivian D 4 · 1⤊ 2⤋
True, but unfortunately a lot of times people who do hate gays, are afraid of them. A lot of times it is because they are actually gay themselves and don't want to admit it.
2007-01-14 21:04:17 · answer #10 · answered by gypsyiiiis 4 · 1⤊ 3⤋