Wednesday, May 16, 2012

Hop Against Homophobia

Hop Against Homophobia

Homophobia

Dictionary.com

unreasoning fear of or antipathy toward homosexuals  and homosexuality.

Merriam-Webster

irrational fear of, aversion to, or discrimination against homosexuality or homosexuals

Oxford Dictionaries

an extreme and irrational aversion to homosexuality and homosexual people.

 Do you see a pattern? Unreasoning and irrational. A phobia. Exactly. And let’s not forget discrimination. Something that should have been eradicated a long time ago.

A phobia is a condition to be overcome with the right direction, information and experience. Homophobia should not even be a word found in the dictionary. And where is the fear coming from? Are homophobes afraid the gayness will rub off on them? That homosexual individuals will turn them gay? Really? And I suppose if an African American person, or Asian person stands too close, you will become African American or Asian? Same principle.

I don’t understand it. But then again, I don’t understand most phobias. And most homophobes cannot justify their irrational and unreasoning fears on childhood traumas like so many phobias can. Fear of spiders? Maybe you were bitten as a child. Fear of heights? You might have fallen out of a tree. Fear of open spaces? Maybe you were separated from your parents and lost. Who knows, but homophobia? What? You saw two men or two women kissing? Big whoop. They weren’t kissing you.

Homophobia is learned, homosexuality is not. Homophobia is a choice, homosexuality is not. I once read somewhere, and I don’t remember where, but it was so appropriate, that I want to share it here.

Straight man: When did you know you were gay?

Gay man: When did you know you were straight?

Let me ask the homophobic straight people of the world. Did you consciously think about being straight when you started noticing the opposite sex? Did you look at a girl and think, “Damn, she’s cute, I must be straight”. Or, “He’s so hot, I must be straight”. I didn’t think so.

And then there is the violence that so often comes with homophobia. It’s simple really, if you believe you have the right to torment, beat or kill someone for being gay, then they have that exact same right to torment, beat and kill you for being straight. No one, and I mean no one has the right to lay hands on another in hate. It makes me ashamed to be part of such a brutal species. Which brings me to the religious aspect of homophobia.

Religious zealots have often times hidden behind their faith to justify what they say and do. I will not ever condemn an entire religion for those few cowards that smear the doctrines that so many do try and live by. I believe the best example is what happened to Jesus himself. Jesus was different. He could walk on water, cure the sick, blind and dying and speak to God himself. That scared the general populace. And what did they do? They chose a thief over the son of God just because he didn’t conform to what they thought as ‘normal’. I use the example loosely only because it is the faith I have. I’m sure there are other examples in other religions.

Back to the definition of homophobia. It’s irrational to hate homosexuality. It is unreasonable to condemn a person for loving someone of the same sex. Do I believe that homophobia will disappear in my lifetime? No. Do I wish it? Absolutely. I would love to see the day when homosexuality and heterosexuality mean nothing. Where being gay is no different than being blue-eyed or blond-haired. Where same sex couples can live their lives openly and be normal, because in reality?

They are.
I'm doing a giveaway associated with this Blog Hop. Comment and you will be entered to win an ebook of Phoenix.
Please visit the Hop page for more interpretations of homophobia and stories of other's experiences: http://hopagainsthomophobia.blogspot.com.au/









25 comments:

  1. I'd like to see a world in which we made no distinctions as to race or gender. Where we didn't use qualifiers such as "black president" or "female CEO" or "gay celebrity".

    It may be a fantasy for now, but some day...

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  2. I am so glad we are doing this. I just hope we can change just one persons way of thinking and then they change someone elses... it's an on going thing.

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  3. I honestly think a lot of them think that if someone is gay they will want them..Please that's like saying all straight people want everyone, people do have certain taste and to think every gay person wants you...oh brother..Yeah they're going to really want someone who hates them. Great post by the way!

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  4. I love the "when did you know you were straight?" question. No one ever asks that. Thanks for writing this post CR.

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  5. Thank you, thank you, thank you!! You have literally put everything that I feel in this post!!! Thank you!

    Meka

    mekaga85@gmail.com

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  6. Great post hun. Youre a completely right, I would love to see a world without people witch hunting others. Its sad and I hope to see it change soon.

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  7. Some good points you make.
    NJ has a good point - change one person so they can go on to change one more - a little ripple can become a big wave
    Suze
    Littlesuze@hotmail.com

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  8. Good Morning, Just wanted to say how much I admire you for banding together with so many authors for such a worthy cause. Good luck in your endeavors.

    Missy Martine
    missymartine@comcast.net
    www.missymartine.com

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  9. Thank you for sharing this with us.
    musings-of-a-bookworm@hotmail.co.uk

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  10. Great post, thanks for participating.

    andreagrendahl AT gmail DOT com

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  11. Great post. Thanks for participating.

    gisu29(at)gmail(dot)com

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  12. Thank you for joining the hop. I enjoyed your post.


    hayley.b.james@gmail.com

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  13. Great post! What happened to the Golden Rule? I think a lot of people have forgotten about it. Everyone deserves to love and marry who they want. No one should be hated for who they love.

    Thanks for taking part in the hop!

    lkbherring64(at)gmail(dot)com

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  14. You fear what you don't know. That's why we need to be ambassadors to the world. :)

    Jase
    vslavetopassionv@aol.com

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  15. I think things will improve, baby steps but they have to right?

    Jibriel dot O at web dot de

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  16. Thanks for participating in this great blog hop. I'm enjoying all the posts :)

    penumbrareads(at)gmail(dot)com

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  17. I don't get it either, CR and hopefully it will be eradicated. There should be no laws banning consenting adults from marrying and being in love. Period. Someday I hope we look back and see that the changes happened quickly.
    Thank you for participating in the hop!
    Bella
    bellaleone4 at gmail dot com
    www.bellaleonebooks.com

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  18. I showed a bunch of these post to the teens in my family to show them how hurt some "innocent" remarks are to many others. I get so annoyed when my nephew says "you're so gay". ERRRR drove me crazy. I know he didn't mean anything by it but it is so wrong to use that as a saying. I think that these post have helped. Thank you all for sharing with us!
    forettarose@yahoo.com

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  19. Thanks for participating for this wonderful cause of awareness…I teach high schoolers and this is a topic that we discuss at length. I just want them to be aware and know that they have the power to change the world!
    Yvette
    yratpatrol@aol.com

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  20. I do think that America as a whole is moving in the right direction where marriage equality is concerned. The problem is the government. For some reason the politicians are pandering to the most exteme wings of their party. Homophobia is driving the politics. It won't be until we vote these people out of office that things will really change.

    geishasmom73 AT yahoo DOT com

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  21. Thank you for sharing your thoughts during the blog hop.

    My phobia is one over spiders, which stems from when a girl at school got a bunch of them and put them down the back of my shirt. Now whenever I see a spider I panic and can feel them running over my back. It doesn't matter that it is nearly 30 years after the incident. I still have the same reaction, even two nights ago when I was sitting right here nad working my way through the blog hop posts, I spotted a spider running across the floor towards my feet and the panic set in.

    I know exactly where that phobia comes from and try as I can I cannot get over it.

    Homophobia is something that in my opinion is incorrectly worded. I don't believe for an instant that the most vocal homophobes are actually in fear of homosexuals. I don't believe hate is a fear.

    But whatever the case, it needs to be stamped out forever so everyone has equal rights no matter who they love.

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  22. Just hopping by. Good post! I think we think on the same path.
    Wade

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  23. I was sure I'd commented before! Thanks so much for taking part in the hop.

    I'm a social phobic and my fear is very irrational. I'm also arachnophobic and that means a different kind of reaction - mainly screaming and running away. I can't do that in social situations, though I very often want to, but I try to keep calm and think rationally.

    See, homophobes should be able to do that, too. If they're really afraid of GLBTQ people, they should be able to stay calm in a social surrounding and think rationally about their fear. They shouldn't be acting out, dropping snide remarks or spewing hatred all over the sidewalk. I don't start shouting stupid stuff at people when I feel uncomfortable around them.

    So, I think it's pretty evident that, in many cases, homophobes aren't fearful. They're just haters who have either found that hatred on their own, or have been raised in that hatred.

    Erica
    eripike at gmail dot com

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  24. Discrimination is wrong, I hope sometime soon people's views will change and people who are thought of different will be treat the same. Thanks for joining the hop!
    red_tigergirl2(at)hotmail(dot)com

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  25. Thank you for the post on such a great cause. I loved the hop.

    peggy1984@live.com

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