Homophobia

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The term "homophobia" is used in two distinct but related ways.

  1. Homophobia is a neutral synonym for "any opposition to homosexuality or gay rights"
  2. Homophobia is irrational prejudice, hatred or fear related of homosexuality

Some hate speech rules and laws have as their basis a view of homosexuality as benign, inborn and/or immutable like race. Using civil rights legislation as a model, they forbid any discrimination against homosexual persons. This includes the expression of opinions about homosexuality itself.

Just as a speech code barring racism would forbid people t to express the view that "blacks are mentally inferior", speech codes relating to homosexuality forbid people to say that "gay sex is an abomination".

Often meaning #2 is used to explain meaning #1. That is, many who endorse homosexuality assert that all opposition to homosexuality (#1) is motivated by irrational prejudice (#2).

Usage

Homophobia is a pseudoscientific term originally intended to portray principalled opposition to the homosexual agenda as an abnormal mental condition. It was introduced into scientific literature shortly before the American Psychiatric Association declassified its diagnosis of homosexuality as a mental illness in 1973. Recent research however, claims that among non-homosexual homophobes, no phobia exists, [1] and most homophobes are homosexual who suffer from "internalized homophobia". The is no agreement within the psychiatric and theraputic profressions on what the term actually means.

According to the National Association for Research & Therapy on Homosexuality (NARTH), gay-rights advocate Gregory M. Herek, Ph.D. wrote that the term "homophobia" was useful in pushing forward the gay agenda in our culture.[2] It is primarily used by gay activists to portray opposition to the homosexual agenda as irrational [3] based on fear or hatred, and to smear Christians and others. It is intended to sound like a form of mental illness, but unlike actual phobias, it is not a term for any recognized psychological condition. NARTH says,

"The term "homophobia" is often used inaccurately to describe any person who objects to homosexual behavior on either moral, psychological or medical grounds. Technically, however, the terms actually denotes a person who has a phobia—or irrational fear—of homosexuality. Principled disagreement, therefore, cannot be labeled "homophobia." [4]

When used in this pejorative sense, the term is offensive and derogatory (see Mockery).

Etymology

The word comes from combining the Greek prefix homo-, meaning "same", and suffix -phobia, meaning "fear of". In early usage by homosexual activists, the term described heterosexual fears that others might think they were homosexual [5] The neologism was promoted by George Weinberg, a gay activist and psychologist, who attempted to define it in clinical literature shortly before the downgrading of homosexuality as a mental illness by the American Psychiatric Asscoaition in 1973. Weinberg claimed it was "the dread of being in close quarters with homosexuals -- and in the case of homosexuals themselves, selfloathing."[6] The term then entered common usage beginning with pornographic publications. [7]

The terms meaning has not been accepted or agreed upon within the psychological therapeutic community. William O'Donohue and Christine E. Caselles [8] have concluded based upon research within the therapeutic community a clear understanding of the term has not been adequately evaluated and it is not clear whether the term can be accurately characterized. They have concluded, "the construct of homophobia, as it is usually used, makes an illegitimately pejorative evaluation of certain open and debatable value positions, much like the former disease construct of homosexuality."

"Internalized homophobia"

The therapeutic community is largely divided between proponents of gay gene theory who believe a person is born gay and will always be gay, and proponents of Reparative therapy who believe with sympathy and understanding a homosexual can be relieved of afflictions if he so desires. Gay gene advocates seek to criminalize so-called "homophobia", despite many homophobes themselves being gay, whereas Restoration therapy advocates point out the cruelty of brainwashing a young person into believing -- based upon theoretical evidence -- there is no hope of ever leading a heterosexual lifestyle.

Homophobia as an "Irrational Fear"

The suffix "phobia" [9] suggests an irrational fear, but it is most often used as a attack term by gay rights groups to suggest that opposition to homosexuality is irrational and hateful.[10] Dr. Sander J. Breiner of NARTH has stated, "it would be very valuable for society in general, and therapists in particular, to have a clear picture of homophobia separated from all the other topics that have been lumped under that rubric." [11] Of the myriads of references to the term in popular and other sociologic publications Breiner observes, "There is no personal, internal, institutional, or cultural homophobia. The terms do not exist in the recognized scientific literature...There is only one homophobia, which has been properly defined," in the the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM) [12] developed by the American Psychiatric Association. Breiner, an advocate of Reparative therapy, acknowledges "There is no doubt that homophobia exists" as an irrational fear among both homosexuals and heterosexuals. 2 Timnothy 1:7 says, "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind. [13]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Study Says There’s No Phobia in ‘Homophobia’, Martha Kleder, CWA, 6/28/2002.
  2. ↑ Gay Psychologist Creates New Terms for Use in the Social Debate. "In his paper on homophobia, stigma, and sexual prejudice, Dr. Herek suggests that although the term "homophobia" was useful in pushing forward the gay agenda in our culture, the term may be too limited in its scope today."
  3. ↑ Charles W. Socarides, M.D., How America Went Gay, America, (November 18, 1995).
  4. ↑ NARTH Position Statements
  5. ↑ http://www.narth.com/docs/creates.html
  6. ↑ Plummer, David, One of the Boys: Masculinity, Homophobia, and Modern Manhood, pp. 3-4: "'Homophobia was introduced into the clinical literature by George Weinberg in 1972, in Society and the Healthy Homosexual.
  7. ↑ Gregory M. Herek, Ph.D., published Beyond 'Homophobia': Thinking About Sexual Prejudice and Stigma in the Twenty-First Century, in the April, 2004, issue of Sexuality Research & Social Policy.
  8. ↑ William O'Donohue and Christine E. Caselles, Homophobia: Conceptual, definitional, and value issues, Journal of Psychopathology and Behavioral Assessment, Volume 15, Number 3, Springer Netherlands, September, 1993. ISSN 0882-2689
  9. ↑ Psychologists do not recognize it as a phobia in any generally recognized publication like the DSM IV.
  10. ↑ Eg, this site [1] first defines homophobia as a dread or fear, but says that it includes those who write their Congressmen to oppose same-sex marriage.
  11. ↑ HOMOPHOBIA: A Scientific Non-Political Definition, Dr. Sander J. Breiner, National Association for Research and Therapy on Homosexuality, 2003.
  12. ↑ Specific Phobia DSM-IV Criteria
  13. ↑ 2 Timothy 1:7
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