lutheranturtleowl:

NO! STOP THIS!

“Homophobia” is a useful, PRECISE word and it is DISTINCT from “heterosexism.” Heterosexism is to homophobia as sexism is to misogyny. Deeply related but not quite interchangable. Homophobia and misogyny are similar in that they have a connotation of visceral hatred and aversion, disgust and repulsion. Sexism is $15 for a woman to get a haircut a man could get for $10. Misogyny is the rape and abuse of women as rampant mainstream entertainment. Heterosexism is the assumption that every teen girl will want a boyfriend. Homophobia is not wanting a lesbian teaching your kid’s class in school.

The word homophobia IS NOT ABLEIST. “Phobia” is derived from the Greek word for fear or AVERSION and is used in some psychiatric terms (agoraphobia for instance) but THAT IS NOT ALL IT IS USED FOR and it is NOT exclusively a psychiatric term! For instance, one of the well known symptoms of rabies is hydrophobia—which is not a fear of water, psychiatrically, but a phyiscal AVERSION to drinking caused by the inflammation induced by the disease.

Homophobia has NEVER meant “fear of gays” in the sense that arachnaphobia is a fear of spiders. It is using the root -phobia in the sense of AVERSION, as in the deep physical disgust many homophobes (especially men) express and which leads to widespread social injustices and discrimination against gays and lesbians.

PLEASE STOP perpetuating the myth that “homophobia” is an offensive word, or that “heterosexism” is a more “PC” alternative with the same meaning. It is a hideous, harmful diversion.

(Source: frauluther, via lipsredasroses)