The social psychology of homophobia

redharbor9 said:Fines and stuff would definitely help... honestly, it’d just crank up the effect...

The thing is, we already have penalties on the books for what they call "hate crimes."
That covers everything from verbal harassment to physical assaults targeting the LGBTQ+ community.

Daniel Wilson5 said:Fine. I just started a thread with a quick little post and my entire thing was wiped out overnight!!!!

The thread was pulled because it was basically incitement, and calling homophobes "popes" violated the subforum rules.

slywolf45 said:The thing is, we already have penalties on the books for what they call "hate crimes."
That covers everything from verbal harassment to physical assaults targeting the LGBTQ+ community.

I was talking about reducing prejudice here... this isn't gonna change anyone's mind... it just makes them even more pissed off.

slywolf45 said:Fair enough.
Awareness is vital, sure.
But how exactly do you reach the crowd that still views homosexuality as some kind of pathology—people who don't even grant that specific "profession" any legitimacy or legal standing in the first place?🤷
Most folks know the term "homophobia" exists, but I highly doubt anyone is going to look in the mirror and admit, "Yeah, I'm a homophobe."

Personally, I find concepts like internalized homophobia much more compelling to unpack right now.

Awareness is fine, but homophobia is a much broader socio-cultural issue than just a psychological or medical one. You can see that from the intro text; it’s full of claims that any decent sociologist would tear apart for being dubious and inaccurate, which honestly just ends up hurting the community.

Daniel Wilson5 said:As far as I'm concerned, it won't end in a fight because that wasn't even the point of this discussion. And if you want my honest opinion, you're being a pretty hardcore homophobe because you clearly couldn't care less—and that's actually the worst part!

😂 so I'm a massive homophobe 😵 while you're just narrow-minded and stuck in your own little world 😛

Like I said, I hope everyone is "homophobic" like me... what am I supposed to do in the end? Applaud? March in a Pride parade? Fight for "your" rights...
I rarely give anyone a round of applause 😬. I've happened to run into a Pride parade a couple of times when I was out downtown on a Saturday morning 😁, and while I didn't applaud, I wasn't shouting insults either... you should fight for your own rights yourselves.
As far as I'm concerned, if you get marriage equality and everything that comes with it... if there were ever a national referendum on it, I'd be the first to vote YES, but I have no intention of actively participating in any of it. 🤣
That's the biggest issue—many people in the LGBTQ+ community view anyone who doesn't actively join their struggle for rights as homophobic... well, I couldn't care less 😁. It's no different than my interest in protecting the Atlantic swordfish; at least the conservationists won't label me a "swordfish-phobe." 🤣

Get your heads together here.... Homophobia—which is basically just prejudice against sexual minorities—requires actual hatred or some kind of intense negative emotion toward them. Since silentpilot6 clearly doesn't have any of that, he isn't homophobic...

Though I honestly think he might still end up posting if people keep sucking up to him like this 😍

Gary James88 said:Awareness is fine, but homophobia is a much broader socio-cultural issue than just a psychological or medical one. You can see that from the intro text; it’s full of claims that any decent sociologist would tear apart for being dubious and inaccurate, which honestly just ends up hurting the community.

Actually, like you mentioned earlier... the text was way too long. I didn't quite have the stamina to slog through the whole thing.
That said, I'm with you—the context here goes far beyond simple psychology or medicine.

Look, I’ll admit I have a bias against militant activists 😁 just like I do with any kind of militancy... whether it's militant pacifists 😵 or militant defenders of bluefin tuna and Swedish fjords 😂

As long as you aren't coming after me, 😁 do whatever you want. From the comfort of my armchair, 😁 I am fully behind you. 👍

Gary James88 said:The thread was pulled because it was basically incitement, and calling homophobes "popes" violated the subforum rules.

Thanks for the clarification.

Daniel Wilson5 said:As far as I'm concerned, it won't end in a fight because that wasn't even the point of this discussion. And if you want my honest opinion, you're being a pretty hardcore homophobe because you clearly couldn't care less—and that's actually the worst part!

Look... if your default setting is to attack anyone who isn't busy singing praises to homosexuals, you aren't going to get very far, nor are you going to find much sympathy here.
Tolerance is supposed to be a two-way street. Even when we're feeling frustrated or heated, jumping down someone's throat over every single syllable doesn't actually help the "cause."😉

redharbor9 said:Get your heads together here.... Homophobia—which is basically just prejudice against sexual minorities—requires actual hatred or some kind of intense negative emotion toward them. Since silentpilot6 clearly doesn't have any of that, he isn't homophobic...

Though I honestly think he might still end up posting if people keep sucking up to him like this 😍

hehe, he's right on the edge

slywolf45 said:Look... if your default setting is to attack anyone who isn't busy singing praises to homosexuals, you aren't going to get very far, nor are you going to find much sympathy here.
Tolerance is supposed to be a two-way street. Even when we're feeling frustrated or heated, jumping down someone's throat over every single syllable doesn't actually help the "cause."😉

Hmm, "anger" and "frustration" sound a bit more intense than the tone I’ve actually been using until now. But hey, if that's how you see it....

You have to accept the reality that most straight people feel alienated by what they perceive as "your" agenda and "your" fight for "rights." You can't change that mindset through these tactics; if anything, you’re just making things worse.
As long as things stay this way, it's fine, because the bigots are still in the minority.
Any kind of hate—especially when it's irrational—is narrow-minded, primitive, and backwards. Most people see right through it. That goes for all kinds of irrational hatred and prejudice, whether it involves religion, nationality, or sexual orientation...
If you start attacking "those types" of people, you might just end up facing some very justified 😉 resentment...

People are generally comfortable. Sometimes people don't even have the energy to fight for their own rights or interests, so it's completely unrealistic to expect them to step up for someone else's causes...

Daniel Wilson5 said:Get lost, hehe, I have breasts, you absolute caveman!!!
You're basically just saying this whole topic is pointless 😂😂

I really couldn't care less about your breasts when, based on your orientation, I won't even get the chance to touch them in the first place... 😁, 🤷
As far as I'm concerned, you can have natural anti-gravity 5. 👍 It makes no difference to me...

Daniel Wilson5 said:Hmm, "anger" and "frustration" sound a bit more intense than the tone I’ve actually been using until now. But hey, if that's how you see it....

Fair enough, but from what I can gather, your first thread got shut down for the exact same reason—that heated, offensive tone. At least, that’s what Gary James88 mentioned.🤷
Besides, there's really no need to slide into people's DMs or throw insults around just to make sure your frustration and irritation come through in your posts.

In my experience participating in these kinds of discussions—I've even started a thread about LGBTQ+ topics before—staying level-headed and attempting to tolerate differing viewpoints (provided they aren't outright aggressive) usually yields much better results.

Personally, I couldn't care less about all this talk regarding "rights"—I don't fully wrap my head around the whole debate anyway. In my view, marriage shouldn't be equated with same-sex unions because marriage was established as an institution between a man and a woman. Maybe same-sex partnerships could just call it something else... I’m simply saying that homophobia is essentially masked aggression—a refusal to accept gay people that manifests as negative pressure on that community. That is a plain fact. I am not talking about special privileges or perks, but rather the fundamental human rights of gay individuals, which remain under threat regardless of anyone offering "support" from the comfort of their couch. By the way, Gay Pride really isn't my cup of tea; what is with all that tacky, over-the-top trash? Not that I can stop it, though. What am I supposed to say? Hey guys, maybe tone down the aesthetic a bit and find some actual style for the gay identity?

silentpilot6 said:I really couldn't care less about your breasts when, based on your orientation, I won't even get the chance to touch them in the first place... 😁, 🤷
As far as I'm concerned, you can have natural anti-gravity 5. 👍 It makes no difference to me...

Touching breasts isn't off the table. I'm queer, and I'm perfectly fine with accommodating the needs of straight people.

slywolf45 said:Fair enough, but from what I can gather, your first thread got shut down for the exact same reason—that heated, offensive tone. At least, that’s what Gary James88 mentioned.🤷
Besides, there's really no need to slide into people's DMs or throw insults around just to make sure your frustration and irritation come through in your posts.

In my experience participating in these kinds of discussions—I've even started a thread about LGBTQ+ topics before—staying level-headed and attempting to tolerate differing viewpoints (provided they aren't outright aggressive) usually yields much better results.

I have to agree with you; it’s definitely the better long-term strategy...😉
Guilty as charged😍

Daniel Wilson5 said:Personally, I couldn't care less about all this talk regarding "rights"—I don't fully wrap my head around the whole debate anyway. In my view, marriage shouldn't be equated with same-sex unions because marriage was established as an institution between a man and a woman. Maybe same-sex partnerships could just call it something else... I’m simply saying that homophobia is essentially masked aggression—a refusal to accept gay people that manifests as negative pressure on that community. That is a plain fact. I am not talking about special privileges or perks, but rather the fundamental human rights of gay individuals, which remain under threat regardless of anyone offering "support" from the comfort of their couch. By the way, Gay Pride really isn't my cup of tea; what is with all that tacky, over-the-top trash? Not that I can stop it, though. What am I supposed to say? Hey guys, maybe tone down the aesthetic a bit and find some actual style for the gay identity?

So, if I want to equate marriage between a man and a woman with a same-sex union, but you don't, then suddenly I'm the homophobe.🤣