Homophobia. A misleading label

[fr0d0]

They're individuals, just like women.

Hah!

[Violet]

... please... please tell me it isn't a guy...? :S

I doubt it. None of the gay men I know would put up with that weather and lack of shopping.

Hooray!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


All that's left is to find her then...

[Shell B]

All that's left is to find her then...

Have you tried smoke signals?

[Violet]

Awwww... I LIKE Yoda. If there was a male I would actually 'do'. Yoda is it!

You kidding? Yoda is a filthy, old, green, never-bathed midget. Did I mention he's GREEN?

And he doesn't even have an interesting personality! He's all holier than thou... I can't stand people like that :S

And he dies in one of them... even uglier than at the other times. Are we talking the REALLY old Yoda or the KINDA REALLY old Yoda?

Titty arguement?

You mean to say you don't know it?

I love that video ^_^

All the best what?

They suggested that you have sex with men, when you know perfectly well that the best sex is with women (with a vagina of course). And we're not talking fat ones.

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All that's left is to find her then...

Have you tried smoke signals?

Crap! You're saying that the only gay woman in alaska smokes?! >_<

Just my luck... well I will move from this retched place when I can >_< I'm thinking somewhere warm... and liberal. Like California. That sounds nice and warm. Lots of gay women in California, right?

[downbeatplumb]

when you know perfectly well that the best sex is with women (with a vagina of course). And we're not talking fat ones.

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Are you talking from experience sae

Coz fat girls can be soooo eager to please, (if memory serves me)

[DeistPaladin]

The two most homophobic guys I've ever known did indeed harbor an irrational fear of gay men.

One was very open about his prejudice and comfortable using the word "fag" frequently. I'd estimate that about half the the time the topic came up, he would bring up his fear of being sexually assaulted by a gay man, even though no one else ever brought up either the topic of either sexual assault or what he might do if someone who was gay ever attacked him. A pretty severe case of rape anxiety, it seemed.

The other was what I would call a "closet homophobe". Unlike the first example, he was socially savvy enough to realize that anti-gay prejudice is passe and so tries to put a veneer over his feelings. He walks back any anti-gay remarks he lets slip, whenever he catches himself, and has a conflicted demeanor along the lines of "What do I care what two freaks do in private, not that there's anything wrong with that, but just keep it out of my face." I'm not sure if he had any rape anxiety, like the first example, but I do recall one conversation where he felt the need to go on a diatribe about how he doesn't "swing that way" despite how no one ever propositioned him nor did anyone ask if he did. He was a friend since high school but he quickly distanced himself from me after I came out openly as bisexual.

I also remember one case where some famous televangelist, Swaggart I think, went on and on about how homosexuality was a "bomb nation" and he'd kill any gay who ever propositioned him. This reflects a fear, I think, or else a violent reaction wouldn't be the response.

There have been studies in psychology on the subject of homophobia. I remember reading about one study where a group of men were divided into two study groups, one who was at ease with gay friends and the other, homophobic. Both groups of men were show lesbian porn to establish arousal in seeing hot women. Then they were shown gay male porn. The group at ease with gays had no arousal. The ones who were homophobic were aroused, often to their surprise. The conclusion was that the homophobic male may be a repressed bisexual. The "fear" is of their own sexuality.

From my perspective, phobia seems an appropriate label.

[Skipper]

Homophobia has become the widely accepted term, and it is generally understood it dosen't mean an actual fear, words I feel can separate completely from their root words and come to mean something very different as long as it is widely understood. So call it what you will but I hope you can over come this (to me) stupid position you have.

[chasm]

hate [heyt]
verb, hat·ed, hat·ing
–verb (used with object)
1.
to dislike intensely or passionately; to hate bigotry.
2.
to be unwilling; dislike
–verb (used without object)
3.
to feel intense dislike, or extreme aversion or hostility.

To be fair, you do hate.

Just like any prejudice, sexual prejudice has features.

1. It is an attitude (i.e., an evaluation or judgment).
2. It is directed at a social group and its members.
3. It is negative, involving hostility or dislike. I do agree with you that homophobia has been twisted into something it's not.

You just described hate to me. It involves dislike and hostility, just like hate does. I do agree that homophobia has been twisted into something it's not, and I respect that you don't like homosexuals, or women, even though I don't agree with your views.

[Autumnlicious]

While knowledge is power, ignorance is strength.

I used to be wary of the gays, then I counseled one. And found he was just like any other guy. Tautological statement is tautological.

[Dotard]

From my perspective, phobia seems an appropriate label.

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. 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.

So how the hell is 'phobia' an accurate discriptor?

Did you read the OP?

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hate [heyt]
verb, hat·ed, hat·ing
–verb (used with object)
1.
to dislike intensely or passionately; to hate bigotry.
2.
to be unwilling; dislike
–verb (used without object)
3.
to feel intense dislike, or extreme aversion or hostility.

To be fair, you do hate.
You just described hate to me. It involves dislike and hostility, just like hate does. I do agree that homophobia has been twisted into something it's not, and I respect that you don't like homosexuals, or women, even though I don't agree with your views.

No you seem to be ignoring those very important discriptors in the definition of 'Hate'. Intensely Passionately Extreme . While I do harbor a dislike and adversion in no way are they passionate, intense or exteme.