Homophobia. A misleading label

[DeistPaladin]

What?? No where in your examples did you list any behaviors that would be considered a 'phobia' in the clinical sense. Even the fella who said he had a fear of being raped by homos, as you pointed out, has rape anxiety, not a fear of the homos themselves.

But he has no such anxiety or obsessions with women sexually assaulting him. It was always the topic of homosexuality that set off such expressions.

Imagine if you will that any time the discussion over guns came up or this guy was in the same room with a gun, he began without being asked to express deep anxiety over being shot and wanted to get away from the gun. I would call that an disproportionate or inappropriate fear of guns. Would you say, "no, no, that's just an inappropriate fear of being shot." This seems a distinction without a difference.

The reactions of all three examples demonstrate inappropriate fears of being sexually assaulted. Even the second example, with his frothing diatribe over how he "doesn't swing that way" when nobody propositioned him or asked him, demonstrates an inappropriate fear.

Phobias cause and are normally associated with dysfunction and unpleasant anxieties. My sexual prejudice does not inhibit my 'function' and causes no anxieties. Uncomfortable in their presence maybe, but a long way from anxiety and not being able to function.

Phobias come in varying degrees of intensity but what distinguishes them from appropriate fears is on how real the danger is. If a gay man is stalking you, it's appropriate to fear for your safety. If you just happen to be in the presence of a gay man, it's not appropriate to have feelings of anxiety. I'm not sure what you mean by "uncomfortable" but that may be just a mild anxiety and therefore, at best, a mild phobia.

I can't read your mind and don't know you like I know the first two examples I mentioned. I will say I'm having trouble understanding what you mean when you say, "not anxiety, just uncomfortable around them" or "I don't hate, I just dislike". Perhaps you could elaborate?