Homophobia: A Disorder, Or Just Simple Hatred?
Homophobia is the fear or hatred of homosexuals and homosexuality. Often times, homophobia leads to expressions of hostility and acts of violence. Homophobia can be found in people from all walks of life. Hate groups have attacked homosexuals and have used violent language with hopes to intimidate and frighten them. Homophobia can cause many different people to do many different things; job discrimination, name-calling, religious judgment, and even physical violence are all examples of homophobia. The Merriam-Webster's Medical Dictionary defines homophobia as "Prejudice against (fear or dislike of) homosexual people and homosexuality." Homophobia is the fear that causes all the hatred toward the homosexual community; we cannot define homophobia as the behavior of homophobic people. It is a fear of the unknown and the feelings of insecurity in a person’s own sexuality.
Is homophobia really hatred? One interesting study of men showed that being scared and being aroused (sexually) cause the same reaction in both the eyes and the penis. When 100 homophobic men were shown homosexual pornography, a device measured eye and penis reactions. There seemed to be evidence to support the homosexual feelings of homophobic men. Could it be possible that our bodies respond in similar ways to fear and sexual arousal? Is it possible that fear and sexual arousal are just closely related emotions?
Homophobic people try to make gays, lesbians, and bisexuals feel inferior. They believe that homosexuality is not normal, "normal" being heterosexuality. They use prejudice and hatred to make the homosexual community feel as though they have fewer rights. When in fact, they're right. Homosexuals haven't been given nearly as many rights as heterosexuals. Marriage is a big issue in the homosexual community right now. The GLBT community has been trying for over a decade to gain their proper rights, just one step at a time. As of right now, same-sex marriage is only legal in Massachusetts. Although it’s not a direct result of homophobia, the effect on the LGBT community is the same.
Some gay men claim that they were homophobic before they "came out" or accepted their true feelings. On the other hand, many gay men say that they weren't homophobic at any time in their life. There is no conclusive evidence either way you look at it.
A health survey conducted by K-Y Brand® Liquid at the Millennium March on Washington revealed that depression and mental health are among the most serious health concerns for gay men and lesbians. Depression and mental health topped a list of health concerns that included, among other things, HIV/AIDS, drug use, heart disease, aging and eating disorders. The issue of depression and mental health was the number one concern for lesbians and the number one concern for gay men after HIV/AIDS.
"Depression and mental health are serious issues for the gay and lesbian community," said Dr. Stephen Goldstone, a physician who operates a predominantly gay practice in New York City. "This survey helps shed light on a problem that has long existed, but has received little attention."
Statistics show that homosexual men are more often the victims of hate crimes than homosexual women. In 2002 the total number of reported victims in a hate crime based on sexual orientation was 1,513. 984 of those victims were homosexual men, 221 victims were homosexual women, and 26 victims were heterosexuals. Men are often times found to be more homophobic than women. They feel more threatened by the idea and have more irrational beliefs. "As was hypothesized--and has been previously shown in other research--men were found to score higher on the Homophobia Scale when compared to women. The men in this study also scored higher on the Irrational Beliefs Scale when compared to women. The data suggested that those who scored high on the irrationality scale would be more homophobic than persons with a more rational score on the Ellis Irrational Beliefs Scale." (Wagner, Serafini, Rabkin, Remien & Williams, 1994; Ellis, 1991)
Research shows that more than one third of homosexual men have experienced personal or property crimes based on their orientation. Gay men have also reported more harassment and verbal abuse than the other sexual orientation groups.(Herek, Dr. Hate Crimes: Confronting Violence Against Lesbians and Gay Men. Sage Publications, 1992.)
In recent years attacks on homosexuals have risen. While the violent crime rate in many areas continues to drop, anti-gay crime is moving in the other direction. What is most disturbing is the cruelty and viciousness of many of these attacks.
In 1998, a 21-year-old (openly gay) college student by the name of Matthew Shepard was beaten to death in Colorado. On October 7th, 1998, Matthew Shepard was led to a remote area east of Laramie, Colorado where he was tied --nude-- to a split-rail fence, savagely beaten, and left in the cold to die. Matthew didn't die immediately, he was found 18 hours later by a cyclist who initially mistook him for a scarecrow. Matthew was transported to a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado where he spent his last couple hours with his entire family by his side. The men responsible for this act (Aaron McKinney and Russel Henderson) of hate were put behind bars.
Matthew's story made headlines; his mother keeps his story alive by running the Matthew Shepard foundation where she travels around the country talking to schools about homophobia. Matthew's brother Logan writes an online blog (linked directly to the Matthew Shepard Foundation website) where he also speaks of homophobia. Both Matthew's mother and brother fight to keep Matthew's story alive, but more importantly, they are both advocates for the fight against homophobia.
Just ten years after Matthew Shepard's death, Lawrence King, a 15-year-old student at E.O. Green Junior High in Oxnard, California was murdered by a fellow student. Students bullied Larry King because he sometimes wore makeup and jewelry, but also because he was openly gay. On February 12, 2008, 14-year-old Brandon McInerney, one of the classmates that would bully him, shot Larry. Brandon has been charged with murder and a hate crime. The 2008-Day of Silence, which calls for an end to violence and harassment directed toward the LGBT community, has been dedicated to the memory of Lawrence King. (www.GLSEN.org)
Much like Judy Shepard, Larry King's mother has also started a foundation to help prevent homophobia. It serves as a memoir for her son Larry. Both Matthew and Larry died, simply because of their sexual orientation. Let these stories be a lesson.
The most recent expression of homophobia was a speech by Oklahoma State Senator Sally Kern. Kern says, "The homosexual agenda is destroying this nation" in a speech that she thought would be private. The speech later leaked to the internet and the whole world heard what she had to say. Kern continues, "The very fact that I'm talking to you like this here today puts me in jeopardy. Not everybody's lifestyle is equal just like not all religions are equal. I'm not anti-- I'm not gay bashing, but according to god's word that is not the right kind of lifestyle, it has deadly consequences for those people involved in it; They have more suicides, more discouraged, there's more illness, their lifespans are shorter." She says, "It's not a lifestyle that is good for decision. As a matter of fact studies show that no society that has totally embraced homosexuality has lasted more than a few decades. So it's the death knell of this country. I think it's the biggest threat, even more so than terrorism, or Islam, which I think is a big threat." Sally concludes with her thoughts on the affect of homosexuality in public schools. "They're going after our young children to teach them that the homosexual lifestyle is an acceptable lifestyle." Kern insists that gays are "infiltrating" political offices, seeking to indoctrinate America's children through pro-gay legislation, gay-straight alliances and school curricula. "This is deadly and it's spreading, it will destroy our young people and it will destroy this nation." Sally Kern was later confronted about the hate speech; she had no regrets and would not apologize to the LGBT community.
What Sally Kern was trying to say in her speech was that she does not support the rights of homosexuals. She also implies that homosexuality is a lifestyle choice; a choice that shouldn’t be made. Why would somebody choose to be gay? Why would anybody choose to deal with the hatred and fear of being killed? Why?
Is homophobia really hatred? One interesting study of men showed that being scared and being aroused (sexually) cause the same reaction in both the eyes and the penis. When 100 homophobic men were shown homosexual pornography, a device measured eye and penis reactions. There seemed to be evidence to support the homosexual feelings of homophobic men. Could it be possible that our bodies respond in similar ways to fear and sexual arousal? Is it possible that fear and sexual arousal are just closely related emotions?
Homophobic people try to make gays, lesbians, and bisexuals feel inferior. They believe that homosexuality is not normal, "normal" being heterosexuality. They use prejudice and hatred to make the homosexual community feel as though they have fewer rights. When in fact, they're right. Homosexuals haven't been given nearly as many rights as heterosexuals. Marriage is a big issue in the homosexual community right now. The GLBT community has been trying for over a decade to gain their proper rights, just one step at a time. As of right now, same-sex marriage is only legal in Massachusetts. Although it’s not a direct result of homophobia, the effect on the LGBT community is the same.
Some gay men claim that they were homophobic before they "came out" or accepted their true feelings. On the other hand, many gay men say that they weren't homophobic at any time in their life. There is no conclusive evidence either way you look at it.
A health survey conducted by K-Y Brand® Liquid at the Millennium March on Washington revealed that depression and mental health are among the most serious health concerns for gay men and lesbians. Depression and mental health topped a list of health concerns that included, among other things, HIV/AIDS, drug use, heart disease, aging and eating disorders. The issue of depression and mental health was the number one concern for lesbians and the number one concern for gay men after HIV/AIDS.
"Depression and mental health are serious issues for the gay and lesbian community," said Dr. Stephen Goldstone, a physician who operates a predominantly gay practice in New York City. "This survey helps shed light on a problem that has long existed, but has received little attention."
Statistics show that homosexual men are more often the victims of hate crimes than homosexual women. In 2002 the total number of reported victims in a hate crime based on sexual orientation was 1,513. 984 of those victims were homosexual men, 221 victims were homosexual women, and 26 victims were heterosexuals. Men are often times found to be more homophobic than women. They feel more threatened by the idea and have more irrational beliefs. "As was hypothesized--and has been previously shown in other research--men were found to score higher on the Homophobia Scale when compared to women. The men in this study also scored higher on the Irrational Beliefs Scale when compared to women. The data suggested that those who scored high on the irrationality scale would be more homophobic than persons with a more rational score on the Ellis Irrational Beliefs Scale." (Wagner, Serafini, Rabkin, Remien & Williams, 1994; Ellis, 1991)
Research shows that more than one third of homosexual men have experienced personal or property crimes based on their orientation. Gay men have also reported more harassment and verbal abuse than the other sexual orientation groups.(Herek, Dr. Hate Crimes: Confronting Violence Against Lesbians and Gay Men. Sage Publications, 1992.)
In recent years attacks on homosexuals have risen. While the violent crime rate in many areas continues to drop, anti-gay crime is moving in the other direction. What is most disturbing is the cruelty and viciousness of many of these attacks.
In 1998, a 21-year-old (openly gay) college student by the name of Matthew Shepard was beaten to death in Colorado. On October 7th, 1998, Matthew Shepard was led to a remote area east of Laramie, Colorado where he was tied --nude-- to a split-rail fence, savagely beaten, and left in the cold to die. Matthew didn't die immediately, he was found 18 hours later by a cyclist who initially mistook him for a scarecrow. Matthew was transported to a hospital in Fort Collins, Colorado where he spent his last couple hours with his entire family by his side. The men responsible for this act (Aaron McKinney and Russel Henderson) of hate were put behind bars.
Matthew's story made headlines; his mother keeps his story alive by running the Matthew Shepard foundation where she travels around the country talking to schools about homophobia. Matthew's brother Logan writes an online blog (linked directly to the Matthew Shepard Foundation website) where he also speaks of homophobia. Both Matthew's mother and brother fight to keep Matthew's story alive, but more importantly, they are both advocates for the fight against homophobia.
Just ten years after Matthew Shepard's death, Lawrence King, a 15-year-old student at E.O. Green Junior High in Oxnard, California was murdered by a fellow student. Students bullied Larry King because he sometimes wore makeup and jewelry, but also because he was openly gay. On February 12, 2008, 14-year-old Brandon McInerney, one of the classmates that would bully him, shot Larry. Brandon has been charged with murder and a hate crime. The 2008-Day of Silence, which calls for an end to violence and harassment directed toward the LGBT community, has been dedicated to the memory of Lawrence King. (www.GLSEN.org)
Much like Judy Shepard, Larry King's mother has also started a foundation to help prevent homophobia. It serves as a memoir for her son Larry. Both Matthew and Larry died, simply because of their sexual orientation. Let these stories be a lesson.
The most recent expression of homophobia was a speech by Oklahoma State Senator Sally Kern. Kern says, "The homosexual agenda is destroying this nation" in a speech that she thought would be private. The speech later leaked to the internet and the whole world heard what she had to say. Kern continues, "The very fact that I'm talking to you like this here today puts me in jeopardy. Not everybody's lifestyle is equal just like not all religions are equal. I'm not anti-- I'm not gay bashing, but according to god's word that is not the right kind of lifestyle, it has deadly consequences for those people involved in it; They have more suicides, more discouraged, there's more illness, their lifespans are shorter." She says, "It's not a lifestyle that is good for decision. As a matter of fact studies show that no society that has totally embraced homosexuality has lasted more than a few decades. So it's the death knell of this country. I think it's the biggest threat, even more so than terrorism, or Islam, which I think is a big threat." Sally concludes with her thoughts on the affect of homosexuality in public schools. "They're going after our young children to teach them that the homosexual lifestyle is an acceptable lifestyle." Kern insists that gays are "infiltrating" political offices, seeking to indoctrinate America's children through pro-gay legislation, gay-straight alliances and school curricula. "This is deadly and it's spreading, it will destroy our young people and it will destroy this nation." Sally Kern was later confronted about the hate speech; she had no regrets and would not apologize to the LGBT community.
What Sally Kern was trying to say in her speech was that she does not support the rights of homosexuals. She also implies that homosexuality is a lifestyle choice; a choice that shouldn’t be made. Why would somebody choose to be gay? Why would anybody choose to deal with the hatred and fear of being killed? Why?