Phobia=an anxiety disorder characterized by extreme and irrational fear of simple things or social situations?

Question

I always hear and see the word homophobia used for people that object to homosexual behavior. Based on my belief that the Bible is the True Word of God, I think that homosexual behavior (not the person) is sinful and wrong. In NO WAY am I even REMOTELY FEARFUL of any homosexual person or even the act because I would not ever be in the situation that it would affect me in one way or another. So if pathophobia (fear of disease), monophobia (fear of being alone),glossophobia (fear of public speaking), algophobia (fear of pain), etc. are all fears as the word phobia implies, what does homophobia mean?? Are people using this completely incorrectly?? What are you thoughts??

Answer 1

Homophobia IS the fear of homosexuality. Fear often turns to anger and hate and can be turned against what one is afraid of. People can secretly fear that they themselves are not strictly heterosexual, and that fear can externalize into rage with those who ARE!! Most people are spread out, so to speak, on a continuous range of Masculine to Feminine traits. Hormones play a big part in that, too, as well as modeling in the Family of Origin, culture and religion. Many times, ones hormones are counter to cultural and religious demands, and that can cause great internal stress for people whose beliefs/culture/training forbid and denigrate homosexual and bi-sexual activity!! Suicide, addictions, emotional illnesses are often the result. Your religious beliefs place you, I would guess, in the heterosexual category. SO, if you truly do not fear Gays and Lesbians and Bi's, you, yourself are not homophobic. Thank God that you ARE not--with your belief, as it is VERY difficult to live a satisfactory life in cultures that are anti-homosexual behavior. Genes determine the sex and hormones determine the sexuality along to a smaller degree, the Family of Origin etc. There are some large cities that are more accepting, such as San Francisco and Indianapolis....Oh..also there for a number of YEARS, homosexuality was classified as a MENTAL ILLNESS, I'm pretty sure!! A cruel, archaic way of thinking!!

Answer 2

Well, I guess they didn't want to call it "Gayphobia"...
And Homosapian, means HUMAN. So, they wanted to
humanize it, by using the word, "Homo-sexual" . It's really
a two part word, if you want to look at it that way.

Answer 3

It could also mean in the "condition" of something....not always the "fear" of something. Words don't always make a whole lot of sense, do they?