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So you're saying human beings shouldn't test the waters with other human beings unless they're given an invitation?
Or is it just gay men who shouldn't ever approach another man in hopes of striking it off?
Just go to a gay bar where the men won't be overly surprised if you come on to them and, of course, may welcome it, especially, if you're good looking.
Who is actually afraid of gay people? I understand not liking them if that's your thing but I don't believe they inspire fear in any significant part of the world's population. Why does this term stick?
The term sticks because it's a different kind of fear. No, most people don't fear that some gay person is going to assault them. But they most definitely feel threatened when their notions of traditional gender roles are challenged.
Many heterosexuals also feel their social prvilege is threatened by the idea of gay marriage. They don't want same sex relationships to be seen as equal to heterosexual ones because it dilutes their social privilege/power. They don't necessarily express it in these terms. Many can't put their finger on what bothers them about the issue because it's emotional in nature, but this, among other things, is what it boils down to.
The term sticks because it's a different kind of fear. No, most people don't fear that some gay person is going to assault them. But they most definitely feel threatened when their notions of traditional gender roles are challenged.
Many heterosexuals also feel their social prvilege is threatened by the idea of gay marriage. They don't want same sex relationships to be seen as equal to heterosexual ones because it dilutes their social privilege/power. They don't necessarily express it in these terms. Many can't put their finger on what bothers them about the issue because it's emotional in nature, but this, among other things, is what it boils down to.
A lot of American heterosexuals are also averse to polygamy but there is no word for that .....maybe it's coming soon.
Who is actually afraid of gay people? I understand not liking them if that's your thing but I don't believe they inspire fear in any significant part of the world's population. Why does this term stick?
There is a simple answer to why it sticks. The media. It wasnt the general population wasnt running around saying homophobe. At least not until the media made sure to pound it into our heads over and over and over.
To set the facts straight, the definition of Homophobia is to harbor or project any range of negative attitudes towards a homosexual, including BUT NOT LIMITED TO fear.
That is only the definition that gay activists have assigned to it. That isn't what it actually means. Now the facts are "straight" (pun intended).
It's a combination of considering both the behaviors/beliefs of people who oppose homosexuality (this includes opposing gay rights, now, let's be honest) and the irrationality of it. Consider all other irrational aversions, especially in which the person feels they must take some action against the subject, especially when it's to "protect" something ("family values", etc.) BTW, the following dictionary allows for something to be called a phobia without it being a fear, per se.
If I just don't want to have anything to do with a light switch, what would you think of me? At first, you might just say that I'm odd. But if I start talking as if there's something WRONG with light switches (perhaps going public to spread the word), over time you'll say I have a problem. Generally crazy, perhaps. But if everything else I do and believe seems normal, you're going to conclude that I'm afraid of light switches, even if I show no signs of "fear" as we often know it.
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