The meaning of Homophobia [Archive]

lexico

Feb 3, 2005, 07:59

I've always understood 'homophobic' as 'fearing people.'

Of course the 'homo' part can be either 'a human being' or 'a male person.'

Hence the 2nd usage denoting 'fearful of a homosexual male person.'

Can you respond in the poll for the most frequently used meaning of the word?

Poll options 1-3: when you hear or read 'homophobic.'

Poll options 4-6: when you say or write 'homophobic.'

Poll option 7: invariably meaning 'fear of all homosexuals; gays & lesbians'

To allow a geographical distribution, the poll result will be left public. Thanks for voting.

Brooker

Feb 3, 2005, 08:08

The only meaning of that word I've ever heard is, "fear of gay people". If there are other meanings, I'm unaware of them.

Elizabeth

Feb 3, 2005, 08:25

Why is the under the "Learning English" subfora ? Are you not interested in the opinons of native speakers....:okashii:

Brooker

Feb 3, 2005, 08:29

I think it's because he wants to learn the meaning of an English word. :souka:

lexico

Feb 3, 2005, 08:30

Yes, Elizabeth, of course!

But at this moment, I am learning Enlish!

Isn't this the place for Non-native speakers to learn English?

Or do they teach you In-gu-ri-shi here?

That's interesting too, actually. I can use both.

But you're right. It is strange to come to JFORUM to learn English instead of Japanese.

I am challenged both ways to be honest...........

Brooker

Feb 3, 2005, 08:36

Don't worry. Your question is in the right place. But there needs to be another option. "Fear of all homosexuals, male and female". That's the one I would choose as the right meaning for "homophobia". You see, the "homo" comes from the "homo" in "homosexual" not from "homo sapien".

Elizabeth

Feb 3, 2005, 08:37

Yes, Elizabeth, of course!

But at this moment, I am learning Enlish!
Oh, what a relief ! All I could imagine this becoming was another social commentary thread, your Engrish seems so well-established, or entrenched, by this point. And Lexico, you also may also have the honor of being first non-Japanese speaker to use it....at any rate I agree with Brooker -- the issue isn't open to opinion as far as I'm aware. :p

kirei_na_me

Feb 3, 2005, 08:38

Homophobia(n.)=fear of homosexuals, both male and female

Homophobic(adj.)=being afraid of homosexuals, both male and female

Homophobe(n.)=someone who is homophobic

The poll needs to be edited, as Brooker pointed out.

jt_

Feb 3, 2005, 12:47

I'll just concur with what everyone else is saying here -- as far as I know, all of these words in question are referring to a fear/hatred of homosexuals (not limited to men), and have no other possible definitions.

Here are some references:
http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=homophobia
http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary?book=Dictionary&va=homophobia&x=8&y=14

Apparently (I say 'apparently' only because I, at least, don't use these terms is everyday speech) fear of humans in general is anthropophobia (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=anthropophobia) or sociophobia (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=sociophobia).

Or misanthropy (http://dictionary.reference.com/search?q=misanthropy) is a more common word for a general dislike for one's fellow humans.

cacawate

Feb 3, 2005, 19:21

This reminds me of a conversation I had the other day with my co-worker. He said he hated gay people and I asked him if he hated all gay people, even lesbians. He said, "Oh! No, lesbians are fine! I just hate gay people." Later I convinced him that he has to hate lesbians as they are gay also. Think about that mindset.

Why do more people (In my experience) except gay women over men? I have even met a few girls that would rather watch lesbian porn over gay male porn, saying it was 'disgusting'. I apologize for hijacking this thread, Lexico. I'll try and make up a more well-rounded one in the social section.

By the way, I convinced my co-worker that he didn't hate gay people, by asking him if he thought God hated gay people. He responded, "No, he just dissaproves of them". Which is what my co-worker does, now. That's one step closer to acceptance, I think.

-Jeff

lexico

Feb 3, 2005, 19:39

Cacawate, thank you!

The problem of my abberant understanding of 'homophobia' goes deeper than the dictionary definition. In all my years of exposure to English, it all fit fine. Why did I miss it? Too lazy to look it up? Denial? But I'm not even...

Somehow the concept of 'homosexuality' does not seem to stick on me no matter how often I hear it. I don't know if it's becaue I'm culturally unaware, or if I have a deep seated contempt for homosexuals, or if I cannot imagine homosexuality to be a fundamental problem.

It does not help to be in the dark, and there are mental blocks that need to be dealt with, either way. Thanks for addressing that 'non-linguistic' aspect of the topic! :cool:

ADVERTISEMENT: THE POLL OPTION LIST HAS BEEN EXPANDED TO INCLUDE

Option #7: homophobic = fearing all homosexuals, male and female

THANK YOU MAD PIERROT FOR ALL THE HARD WORK! :wave:

Maciamo

Feb 3, 2005, 20:39

jt_

Feb 4, 2005, 00:29

I think I mistook at the poll. I thought of homophobia as "homo-" for human, and "phobia" fear, but I mixed Latin with Greek. However, "homo-" in Greek means "same", so we could also understand that it is a fear of one's same kind, so for humans, it means fearing other humans. If we wanted to express the fear of homosexuals, it would have to be "homosexuophobia" or something like that (maybe "gayphobia").Except it wouldn't. There's no point in saying what the word "should" mean based on its roots. The word "homophobia" (and "homophobic", "homophobe", etc.) are already English words, with a specific meaning, that meaning is listed (and, in fact, is the _only_ meaning listed) in many definitive dictionaries of English.

To suggest that it should mean something else (or that we need to create a new word to mean what this one currently means) based upon a strict interpretation of its etymology, seems preposterous to me. That's just not how language works.

----

Just as an addition, this meaning of homophobia is _not_ (as far as I know) limited to American English. I don't have access to a dictionary of British English, but just from a quick search of Google UK (http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=homophobia&btnG=Google+Search&meta=cr%3DcountryUK%7CcountryGB), I see no difference in the usage of the word.

Maciamo

Feb 4, 2005, 01:08

To suggest that it should mean something else (or that we need to create a new word to mean what this one currently means) based upon a strict interpretation of its etymology, seems preposterous to me. That's just not how language works.

That's just the way I feel about it.

Just as an addition, this meaning of homophobia is _not_ (as far as I know) limited to American English. I don't have access to a dictionary of British English, but just from a quick search of Google UK (http://www.google.co.uk/search?hl=en&q=homophobia&btnG=Google+Search&meta=cr%3DcountryUK%7CcountryGB), I see no difference in the usage of the word.

I checked my Oxford dictionary and it does exist in BrE too, but I have never heard it. "-phobia" words are usually for diseases such as claustrophobia, or agoraphobia, where people have a strong emotional reaction (fainting, panick, etc.). I have never heard of such reactions to homosexuals. What's more, phobia means fear, not "dislikes/hate", as some people suggested above.

Glenn

Feb 4, 2005, 06:30

That's just the way I feel about it.

I actually thought the same thing, but that doesn't really matter. People say "autopsy" when they should say "necropsy," so this is just another in that line. Like it or not, we have to go with the majority, lest we not be understood or be taken as pedantic.

I checked my Oxford dictionary and it does exist in BrE too, but I have never heard it. "-phobia" words are usually for diseases such as claustrophobia, or agoraphobia, where people have a strong emotional reaction (fainting, panick, etc.). I have never heard of such reactions to homosexuals. What's more, phobia means fear, not "dislikes/hate", as some people suggested above.

I think the roots of "homophobia" are sarcastic and hyperbolic in nature, and I doubt that anyone thinks of it as a medical condition. It's similar to how people will call things "gay" that are inanimate, because they are uncool, cheesy, a little too "happy," etc.

lexico

Feb 4, 2005, 06:43

I actually thought the same thing, but that doesn't really matter. People say "autopsy" when they should say "necropsy," so this is just another in that line. Like it or not, we have to go with the majority, lest we not be understood or be taken as pedantic.Admitting that, I think the argumrent goes either way. For example, a society overly obsessed (in the sense of hyper-aware) with gay issues may easily forget the commonplace usage form the simple fact that it is unnoticeable. I say this because there were many instances when gayness was not an issue at all, yet the words were uttered, "no need to be homophobic." Or my mind is fooling me.I think the roots of "homophobia" are sarcastic and hyperbolic in nature, and I doubt that anyone thinks of it as a medical condition. It's similar to how people will call things "gay" that are inanimate, because they are uncool, cheesy, a little too "happy," etc.This is actually a very interesting phenomenon. How often does sarcasm influence the shift in the sense of a word? For example the word Christian was used by non-Christians to make fun of them; history seems to have made a full circle. Am I being sarcastic, too?

Glenn

Feb 4, 2005, 07:04

This is actually a very interesting phenomenon. How often does sarcasm influence the shift in the sense of a word? For example the word Christian was used by non-Christians to make fun of them; history seems to have made a full circle. Am I being sarcastic, too?

I'm not sure how often it's sarcasm, but I do know that words change meaning over time, and I'm sure it often plays a role. For instance, the word "gay" used to mean "happy," but the gay people started using it to describe their lifestyle, and it took on the meaning "homosexual." From there it has taken on the pejorative meanings that I described above.

I also heard that "meat" used to mean all food, and "white meat" had some other meaning (don't remember it right now). And I think that "hag" went from being a maiden or young woman to meaning "evil woman" or "witch," etc., probably due to sarcasm or scornful use by the masses.

Brooker

Feb 9, 2005, 09:53

"Homophobia" is a very commonly used word.

I work with several openly gay people and it doesn't bother me. I think the biggest hurdle for accepting homosexuality is to understand that there are people of the same gender who truly and genuinely love each other. It took me a long time to realize that. I used to think it was just about sexual preference, but then I got to know some gay couples who love each other the same way anyone does and it's hard to condemn that.

It's the freaky, "I wanna have sex with everyone because I'm insecure and horny" people who kind of bother me, but plenty of straight people fit into that category.

-Rudel-

Feb 9, 2005, 13:19

In the context of the younger generation... I believe that homophobia is the fear of gay people, both male and female.

If that word was brought up in the 20s or 50s, i think the context would of meant the fear of people, both male and female.

But now it's the 2000's and all generations are most likely taking it in the context I first stated. Especially after all the gay marriages that were stated or shown on T.V. around the world.

As for God loving people and disapproving, I can not answer this as I have my own beliefs. We all do right? :)

Rayc

Feb 24, 2005, 07:17

Does Japan have gays?

TwistedMac

Feb 24, 2005, 08:16

Does Japan have gays?
you're kidding right?
ofcourse there are gay people in Japan.

I think they have a hard time though. It's not exatly the most accepting society to stuff like that.

Brooker

Feb 26, 2005, 07:54

Some Japanese people think that Japan has less gays than other places, but I'm sure that's not true. I'm sure every place has roughly the same amount of gay people it's just that homosexuality isn't very accepted in Japan, so the people who are gay are much quieter about it.

einbert

Mar 7, 2005, 23:00

I just wanted to throw my opinion into the ring on this one.

homophobia.: irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals
-www.m-w.com

I think this concept doesn't necessarily mean a fear of the people that are gay, but it represents more of a fear or aversion towards homosexuality in general. For example, many people that would be labeled as homophobes by society wouldn't really fear a homosexual person if they met one. Instead, they fear the societal acceptance of homosexuality in general. It also applies to people who just discriminate against homosexuals, whether they are doing it out of fear, hatred, or whatever other reason.

I think it's an important distinction.

BlackGirls_are_nice2

Mar 20, 2005, 06:35

I am shocked to see a topic like this in here since I believe that some homosexuals might get offended, but anyway, I have also always agreed that words have more than one meaning.
So I guess I agree with all the different meanings even though I still feel strongly about the meaning of being afraid of homosexuals.

How's it going everyone? I didn't see Frank D. White's opinion on this thread. I think he is such a wise man and I appreciate his wisdom.
Okay everyone,
Ciao!

lexico

Mar 20, 2005, 07:09

Accoding to Wikipedia "homophbia" is defined as follows.
Etymology
The word homophobia is a neologism coined by clinical psychologist George Weinberg in his book Society and the Healthy Homosexual in 1971. It combines the Greek words phobos, meaning "panic fear", with the prefix homo-, which means "the same". The "homo" in homophobia comes from the word homosexual, not to be confused with the Latin homo, meaning man (as in homo sapiens).

A precursor was homoerotophobia, coined by Dr Wainwright Churchill in Homosexual Behavior Among Males in 1967.Since the word is a neologism, and there are many words that combine non-Greek words with the Greek -phobia "fear," the etymological reasoning has little substance. Two points that I do not know is whether

1) homophobia was never used before Weinberg in his 1971 book;
2) if it were, was the usage the same as in the current usage.

I am only asking this because I understood at least one stream of US culture to be tolerant of homosexualtiy. If not, I was greatly mistaken and consequently overestimated the level of social progress that US had achieved by the late 1980's, early 1990's.

TheKansaiKid

Mar 20, 2005, 14:39

homophobia as it is used in American pop-culture at the present means someone who is not tolerant of a homosexual lifestyle. If someone makes a politically incorrect joke about a "gay guy" he is homophobic, if someone commits a hate crime toward a gay or lesbian individual they are homophobic. Does that mean they have a fear of these people... I would suggest it is slightly different then a traditional "phobia".

thats my oppinion

I may be wrong

John Lemon

Mar 20, 2005, 19:13

I think fear of males in general would be "androphobia", derived from "andros", the Greek word for "male person". Fear of people in general would be anthrophobia, I think, which is derived from anthros, the Greek word for human being. Personally, I haven't seen "homophobia" used in a context other than fear of/aggression towards homosexuals.

Sr Pasta

Mar 21, 2005, 02:27

The word homophobia is also connected to the idea of suppressed homosexuality. The strong reaction against other people being gay would be based on the fear of a part of the persons self. That may be a part of the answer to why homophobia tends to be directed towards gay people of the same sex as the person reacting.

alexriversan

Apr 1, 2005, 22:21

dear lexico, probably you may include "... means need of theraphy" as a poll option. i would tick it.

well fear of human people is the correct linguistic meaning.
it is the suffix within the race labelling systems: if one beliefs we have chimpanzee/orang-utan and gorilla ancestors.

people may notice that ghey can be attached to occurances, things, objects like uneccesarily luxerious houses- of course to humans like man/woman as well.

yesterday i have learned the word boisterously.

recently i wrote"big female b**bs are not natural." and "man has forced woman to hide these big b**bs and also to GLORIFY them."

i also wrote "people should go wearing black training pants (or any other color), nothing else. this includes woman and man."

personally i do not enjoy adult entertainment and have understood that minorities enjoy this stimulation out of own device.

however to make up the term "homophob" is as well insane as to glorify big b**bs. it is a wrong labelling system which does not produces something, helps people towards a goal or meets the condition "STOP" of a program.

"START" is where is one right now, "STOP" is where one wants to get.
such linguistic concepts make much much more sense, than to talk in negative terms. "-phob" is greek and a negative term.

to repeat: ghey can be attached to objects, occurances, woman etc. :blush:

ADDITION: i have read within the replies the suffix has different meanings in greek and latin.

like sphinxes: EGYPT sphinx is male and of decorative nature.
GREEK sphinx is female and kills candidates who can not solve the riddle.
the fact something exists within a language does not grant it is good or right.

so far about sphinxes- see also my funeral advice website :14: if you are not sphinxophob/arachnidophob.

(the tricky thing about this post is how i prejudiced the nerve medician who has made up the term)

bossel

Apr 2, 2005, 01:50

Since the word is a neologism, and there are many words that combine non-Greek words with the Greek -phobia "fear," the etymological reasoning has little substance. Two points that I do not know is whether

1) homophobia was never used before Weinberg in his 1971 book;
2) if it were, was the usage the same as in the current usage.
Actually, I came across earlier references from the OED:
"1920 Chambers's Jrnl. 5 June 418/1 Her salient characteristic was a contempt for the male sex as represented in the human biped... The seeds of homophobia had been sown early.
1960 T. KORA in Koestler's Lotus & Robot II. 213 Of nervosity symptoms, homophobia appears most frequently. In this is included fear of blushing when appearing before a person, or erythrophobia, feeling of getting stiff or oppressed before an individual."

The term in its current meaning may have 1st appeared 1969 in Time Magazine.

Etymologically the modern word homophobia is a combination of homosexual(-ity) & phobia. Homosexual itself is a combination of Greek (homo) & Latin (sexual).

well fear of human people is the correct linguistic meaning.
Perhaps you don't mean linguistic, but etymological? For the etymology see above. Linguistically, IMO correct as such doesn't really exist (for modern descriptive linguistics, that is). Correct is everything that can be understood.

it is the suffix within the race labelling systems: if one beliefs we have chimpanzee/orang-utan and gorilla ancestors.
Where did you get this one from? Chimps, Orangs & Gorillas are our relatives, not our ancestors.

BTW, are you confusing affix, prefix & suffix?

lexico

Apr 2, 2005, 02:07

Actually, I came across earlier references from the OED:
"1920 Chambers's Jrnl. 5 June 418/1 Her salient characteristic was a contempt for the male sex as represented in the human biped... The seeds of homophobia had been sown early.
1960 T. KORA in Koestler's Lotus & Robot II. 213 Of nervosity symptoms, homophobia appears most frequently. In this is included fear of blushing when appearing before a person, or erythrophobia, feeling of getting stiff or oppressed before an individual."

The term in its current meaning may have 1st appeared 1969 in Time Magazine.Excellent, excellent ! I love you bossel for your brainy composition. These are things that make history move forward. My respects and thanks.Perhaps you don't mean linguistic, but etymological? For the etymology see above. Linguistically, IMO correct as such doesn't really exist (for modern descriptive linguistics, that is). Correct is everything that can be understood.

Where did you get this one from? Chimps, Orangs & Gorillas are our relatives, not our ancestors.

BTW, are you confusing affix, prefix & suffix?I know Alex can answer for himself, but interestingly I have some insight into his language. By choice, he obscures the current, ordinary language for the purpose of enriching it. It is Socratic in essence. I could be wrong. It could mean many more things, or less. :cute:

alexriversan

Apr 2, 2005, 18:21

Perhaps you don't mean linguistic, but etymological? For the etymology see above. Linguistically, IMO correct as such doesn't really exist (for modern descriptive linguistics, that is). Correct is everything that can be understood.
well i should have looked up linguistic before usage. i do most times, but not always.

Where did you get this one from? Chimps, Orangs & Gorillas are our relatives, not our ancestors.
the DNA tree is a system of scientific belief. humas and primates have derived from common ancestors.

BTW, are you confusing affix, prefix & suffix?

well i can manage prefix and suffix, but affix?
true i have never understood these grammatical labels.
what i understand now is the concept of an "object", or animate/inanimate.

bossel

Apr 3, 2005, 11:03

It is Socratic in essence.
Socratic, hmmm? You mean the maieutic part? I don't see much evidence for that.

[B]the DNA tree is a system of scientific belief.
A system of scientific belief? Like religion? Interesting!
That would be no wonder then, that they believe in chimps et al. as our ancestors. Who are they, maybe you could provide a link?

humas and primates have derived from common ancestors.
Er..., human beings are primates (hence common ancestors are only to be expected).

well i can manage prefix and suffix, but affix?
Affix is the superordinate concept for prefix & suffix (& infix, but this is the least common in English).

alexriversan

Apr 3, 2005, 17:56

well arachnophobia is quite common.

as well as humanophobia, probably there is another psych label for "to be shy/scared of other human beings"- not the same as paranoia, but may occur together.

look it up yourself: http://www.psychologytoday.com

homophobia might indeed be a diagnostic term. clear the meaning is fear of members of the own sex.

this means the presence of them, talking to them, social interaction. of course it can include a subconscious fear of intercourse.

------------

prefix=affix and suffix=affix. TRUE.
woman/woman man/man = ghey. FALSE.

betting large sums on horses, living in a luxerious house, drinking wine all day: that's GHEY. not to forget the tarot card seances.

the usage of this word is INSANE.

cacawate

Apr 11, 2005, 03:41

alexriversan

Apr 11, 2005, 19:12

1. ghey
An excuse for using the term "Gay" in a negative way, without seeming to be offensive. However, changing the spelling of the word doesn't change how offensive it can still be to homosexuals.
Person1: That's ghey!
Person2: Dude, don't use that word.
Person1: But I'm spelling it g-h-e-y.
Person2: Dude, that doesn't matter, it's still offensive.
Person1: Well, that's ghey!
Person2 thwacks Person1

Taken from: http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ghey&defid=1069702
betting large sums on horses, living in a luxerious house, drinking wine all day: that's GHEY. not to forget the tarot card seances.

heterosexual relationships can be bright and colorful as well.
if it makes sense to describe relationships that way.
however, the word has no good meaning at all, is never used as a compliment or if one applies for a job. employers are not allowed to use it in a certificate.

by the way, personally i am "spirited and highly emotional".

to contribute to the thread subject: homophobia means fear of community of other humans. it can occur if the physical space is limited. for example body contact in a train.

some persons do not care.
some persons like it. (not in an interactive way)
some persons are phobic of it.

however, humans are group-based, not solitaire individuals, means homophobia is a diagnosis.

an aversion against being touched/grabbed by anonymus persons has nothing to do with homophobia.

phantasmagoria

Apr 13, 2005, 04:21

alexriversan

Apr 13, 2005, 17:39

no wonder people do not like them.

i do not like them. it has nothing to do with the sort of gender within the relationship.

in big american cities, people do not care anymore. the people countryside have more homophobia.

the works of stephen king are giving out several pieces of american homophobia.

though i do not read king anymore (too scary). it reads authentic. http://www.horrorking.com/

probably you can buy "nighshift", which contains several short stories.
also "needful things":quite scary.

Ziggy

May 5, 2005, 23:24

The meaning of that term was pretty much skewed.

Homo- either "same" or "people"
Phobia- "fear"

The term usually refers to "fear" of homosexuals. (They are not really afraid of them, they in fact hate the idea of being homosexual themselves more than they are afraid of the idea of homosexuality in others in my experience - so the fear is actually from turning homosexual themselves.)

Shas

May 9, 2005, 01:07

i would say it means:

"fear of heterosexual males of appearing not to be grossed out by the fact that a male or homosexual comes to close"

^ ^

= the reason why males don't like to sleep in one bed (even if its triple double king megasized) on a trip or so even if its their good friend and they know hes not gay

or so?

i am confused

alexriversan

May 11, 2005, 18:38

i am very sorry for the long, suffering replies i made to this thread.

now: there is no such thing as orientation, it is made up.

homophobia is insane.
homosexuality is insane.
heterosexuality is insane.

to some degree. if it works for you, good, it is not insane.
if it works for you, but not for the most people you live with,
you belong to a special population group.

:wave: by the way, i do not see very much homophobia in the "gravitation" manga.

AllMakesCombined

Jan 7, 2006, 12:50

I am only asking this because I understood at least one stream of US culture to be tolerant of homosexualtiy. If not, I was greatly mistaken and consequently overestimated the level of social progress that US had achieved by the late 1980's, early 1990's.

You wouldn't be too far off base there either, really. I have a good friend who is homosexual. As a result, I was once assaulted merely because I was his friend. I think polls that try to find out the percentage of how many people in a society are homophobic, racist, etc. are always going to be underestimations. Most homophobics I've seen won't admit they are homophobic. Just like racists will deny their racism.

The most common instance of homophobia I witness is when a gay person is mentioned, prompting an individual to say something like "as long as they don't hit on me, I don't have a problem with them." The assumption that homosexuals are predetermined to flirt with them for no reason is a minor form of paranoia in my book.

I think it's gotten better since the middle of the last century, but not as much as it may seem. I think it's a disappointment.

Hyde_is_my_anti-drug

Jan 8, 2006, 08:36

Well, where I'm from, "homophobia" means a phobia directed at homosexuals of all genders (although it is more common, in the USA, for it to be directed at homosexual males). Most people would not admit to being homophobic because to admit one is homophobic would be like admitting one is racist. However, this does not mean homophobia nor racisism are small issues just because people will not admit to them.
In the USA alone 84% of GLBTs (Gays, Lesbians, Bisexuals, Transgenders) are verbally harassed for their sexuality, 39.1% are physically harassed. And those numbers are only based on people who have admited to being harassed and who are still in the school system. Add in adults and those who've been mistreated but won't talk about it and those numbers become alarmingly high (not that they weren't already). These numbers also do not include sexual harassment.

No matter how you define the term it is still a problem, a serious problem, but isn't being dealt with due to the fact that, as 'fore mentioned, not many people admit to it. It is also very hard to get homophobic acts against GLBTs recording as crimes even though they are. Homophobia on a small scale, such as simply saying, "ewww, gross" is one thing, but unfortunatly it doesn't stop there. Physical, verbal, and even sexual violence can result from homophobia. It sickens me because not only have I been put through some of the 'fore mentioned but I have had to watch friends and loved one's have to grit their teeth and deal with it as well. It's sad and sickening.

BobCat

Jan 29, 2006, 17:48

Homophobia is fear of homosexuals (both male and female). its easy to remember because the word 'Phobia' means 'to be very scared' and 'Homo' is short of 'Homosexual' - that is what I know of the word, maybe there is some history behind it. who knows? But that is what the word means today

Blututh

Feb 7, 2006, 11:44

Homophobia is fear of gay men, ususally.

In American culture, men are required to behave in a certain way to maintain their masculinity. This requires them to usually like sports, hate the color pink, etc., but most of all, they must hate most contact with other men, as homosexual men like such contact.

This is done in order for men to keep their image of manliness, which is quite important in American culture.

Torebaa

Oct 23, 2006, 04:35

Words change throughout time with the general meaning associated with them. Just as 'fantastic' no longer associates itself with 'phantasm.'

In modern American society, 'gay' has adopted a change in use that was always encompassed both genders, but primarily focuses on homosexual males. Although it is still used in some contexts for saying one person likes another of the same sex, specifically it is men that are gay, and women that are lesbian.

As argued earlier through this thread, 'homophobia' means initially to the American person 'a fear of homosexuals.' This does not always have to be taken literally though as fear, but can also include violence and slander, because in its base, the assumption is that fear of thees kinds of people is what provoked such responses. 'homo' is an abbreviated form of 'homosexual' (all cultures abbreviate, which leads to confusion amongst those who are non-native trying to study the language, something I know quite well when I find Japanese abbreviated or slang-ed).

Anyways, whenever someone says sometime deroggatory about the gay culture, anyone can accuse them of being homophobic. This includes the use of words such as 'fag, queer, and dyke.' But, minority groups do do what they say is 'reclaiming' the words that were once offense. An example is African American's adaptation to 'nigga.' It's fine if they say it, but if anyone else does, issues may abound. Same thing with feminists and 'c**t' (The Vagina Monologues promote this idea heavily). Thus, many homosexual males can say 'fag' and 'queer' to one another, but if someone else does, that's a problem.

Living is complicated, communicating even more so.

Now, about women vs men homosexuality and why one is considered 'more' okay than the other...That is a result of the current culture we grow up in. In American, women are promoted to show of their bodies and many men adopt the fantasy of two women at the same time, because that reinforces the masculine characteristics about them. It's hypocritical, but in our current times, it's perfectly acceptable for a man to be with many women, but if a woman is with many men, then she is nothing but a *****.
Hope I helped anyone out with this drivel.

fritzmonkey

Nov 3, 2006, 08:05

Thus, many homosexual males can say 'fag' and 'queer' to one another, but if someone else does, that's a problem.

Queer is sometimes used when you're trying to point out something that is weird or out of place. "Thats queerer then three fish on a telephone pole." (Yes, I know thats a bad example).

To me a homophobic is someone that has such a dislike oh gay people that they refuse to talk to them or get to know them. A phobia is a fear of something. So to me, homophobic people fear homosexuals to the point of hating them.

Yamatoblue

Dec 5, 2006, 07:13

同性愛は見っとも無いですね‘‘‘
日本と他の伝統的な国々にも同じですね。

i would say it means:
"fear of heterosexual males of appearing not to be grossed out by the fact that a male or homosexual comes to close"
^ ^
= the reason why males don't like to sleep in one bed (even if its triple double king megasized) on a trip or so even if its their good friend and they know hes not gay
or so?
i am confused
It doesn't seem usual...sowieso, leben sie in Deutschland. Da gibt es sehr viel Formalitat. Zum beispiel, in Deutschland da gibt es sehr wenig body contact(ich weiss es nicht auf Deutsch;)). Das verstehen sie doch bestimmt, besonders weil sie in Deutschland leben.
Wir buben tun das nicht.

caster51

Dec 9, 2006, 17:43

La maison de H★iMIK☆o(English SUB)

Japanese gay movie

have a fun

caster51

Dec 10, 2006, 00:35

ｍｙ　bad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lDV4wktmY_M

Sarah Jane

Dec 10, 2006, 21:45

I believe that homophobia is the fear of gays and lesbians.

I find it to be ignorant.
I don't like it.
:okashii:

But I suppose that not all fears are rational.

BulletsFearTheBrave

Mar 22, 2007, 07:58

"homo" does not mean man or human. the "homo" you're thinking of (homosapien) might mean human, but its not the same "homo" used in homophobia. "homo" in homophobia comes from the same "homo" root found in the word "homogenized" where the "homo" prefix means something like "same". (homogenius means only one type.) heterogenuis means not the same type. hence homosexual meaning same sex. and heterosexual meaning a mixed sex couple. so really the phrase "homophobic" means fear of things that are the same, being together. so, fear of any gay couple.