Straight men weirdly enjoy two gay women being intimate...
forgetting that those two are not into men...so it's not something mutual.
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Is Homophobia a Mental Illness?
- Thread starter Heyo
- Start date
forgetting that those two are not into men...so it's not something mutual.
We Never Know
No Slack
In simplest terms,,,, I disagree with their view about male one male sex. But I do not condone, shame or push for them to change. Its their life
Observing a scripture with homophobic laws doesn't make it not homophobic just because it's religious.
To me, any religion which forbids homosexuality with the justification 'god says so' is not rational (not because the God part, but because the appeal to authority fallacy part. Would be equally true if it were laws made against homosexuality from the nonreligious but equally irrational position of 'it's gross.') And an irrational aversion qualifies for social phobias, much like xenophobia.
So isn't easier to just say.
I don't like gay sex?
What's all this about disagreeing with homosexuality (which encompasses much more then physical relations).
Heyo
Veteran Member
Yep. The question is "what kind of problem?", psychopathological or moral. If they have a mental disorder, i.e. a phobia, the correct way to respond to homophobia is "Get help". It would also be not productive to tell them that they are immoral because they can't help it.
If they are responsible, it is OK to call them out and demand they stop it.
A not knowing how to "live and let live" problem.
Social phobia, clinical phobia, and chemical phobia are all distinct categories that shouldn't be mixed.
You don't need to have a mental illness to have an irrational viewpoint. There are no doubt tons of homophobes with traumatic backgrounds who very much need counseling. But that doesn't mean the homophobia itself is or should be treated as a mental illness.
Besides, mental illness doesn't and never has meant people shouldn't take ownership and responsibility for destructive behavior, or be removed feom whwre they can do damage. There's a reason insanity plea defenses almost never work. The margin of 'I couldn't help myself' is very small.
We Never Know
No Slack
Nope. Dislike and disagree put forth two different stances.
Dislike will lead to a false accusation of disliking them as a whole.
Disagree puts forth -its for you, not me.
We Never Know
No Slack
It's almost like you keep getting into this argument because people don't use the words the way you want them to be used by them.
The reality is most people would see it the opposite way you're describing here.
Dislike does not imply a value judgment, disagree does.
'I dislike pineapples on pizza' vs 'I disagree with pineapples on pizza.' Only the latter is implying pineapples on pizza is wrong.
stvdv
Veteran Member
Depends of course
If I see a real "Heart to Heart" connection then I love it just as much.
Trailblazer
Veteran Member
There is no such thing as a homophobic law. Only people can be homophobic, laws are not homophobic.
homophobic: having or showing a dislike of or prejudice against gay people.
homophobic means - Google Search
Observing a scripture with laws that prohibit homosexual sex doesn't make someone homophobic.
mikkel_the_dane
My own religion
Well, I am currently reading several university level books on in the end the good and healthy life.
But I will make the answer simple. It depends on what someone takes for granted for what mental illness is or that it is a natural variation.
That is the meta-answer - it depends.
Yeah, I know.
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Laws can be homophobic or racist or misogynist or classist, because those making those laws can be. The intention and reasoning of the law reflects the discriminatory viewpoints of those penning it.
Observing laws which prohibit interracial relationships is racist. I see no difference to that and laws prohibiting same sex being called homophobic.
exchemist
Veteran Member
I'm not sure the term phobia is always used in a medical way in everyday speech. The term xenophobia, for instance, has been in common use for decades and nobody has ever considered that to be a medical condition.
Both xenophobia and homophobia are products of an intolerant social environment, just as one used regularly to encounter a "phobia" against Catholics in Northern Ireland (Antichrist, breeding like rabbits, etc etc). None of these things seems to me to be a medical "anxiety disorder", unless one is prepared to argue that entire societies can be induced into such states by cultural feedback.
Homophobia and xenophobia in fact both illustrate the ability of human beings to separate attitudes to classes of people from attitudes to individuals. Plenty of people with xenophobic attitudes can be friendly with a Pakistani neighbour, and plenty of people who dislike homosexuality can be perfectly friendly with a gay work colleague.
It seems to me quite clear from this that such "phobias" are not phobias in the medical sense.
Heyo
Veteran Member
Well, yes, but those laws have been made by homophobic people and people who agree with those laws are homophobic by association. And while it can be that people agree with these laws because of mental illness, I think it is less likely. They are almost always homophobic because they have a misaligned moral compass.
mikkel_the_dane
My own religion
Or a different moral compass. It depends in both cases what is taken for granted.
I don't know whether homophobia is a mental illness, but I doubt it - for most. It's more likely to simply come from the prejudices and biased natures of our lives, and as to such, often coming from what we experience during our childhood and youth - of course aided by any education/indoctrination and/or any religious views that might affect such things. I, like many others no doubt, didn't grow up with any others who seemed to be homosexual - it was illegal for much of my youth and early adulthood - but I did suspect others of being such. Hence, I might, along with so many others, have seen homosexuals as some kind of other species. But mostly I just didn't think about them.
If I did have some particular feelings or views towards homosexuality - given I was sexually abused by an older boy during my childhood - these seem to have disappeared over time, and coming from some research and thinking as to such issues. But one can understand the possible revulsion felt towards homosexuals - males at least - even if such is misguided.
I just see this as one of the many things we just have to accept as being a natural part of human nature and not something to get worked up over. There are far more important issues, and that affect so many more.
If I did have some particular feelings or views towards homosexuality - given I was sexually abused by an older boy during my childhood - these seem to have disappeared over time, and coming from some research and thinking as to such issues. But one can understand the possible revulsion felt towards homosexuals - males at least - even if such is misguided.
I just see this as one of the many things we just have to accept as being a natural part of human nature and not something to get worked up over. There are far more important issues, and that affect so many more.
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Brian2
Veteran Member
Brian2
Veteran Member
Sounds right to me.
Last week the new CEO of a football team here had to resign after a week because someone found out that the a minister in the Church he was in a leadership position with had said something against abortion and homosexuality in a sermon about 9 years ago.
The whole thing was all over the media of course and our state Premier said that such homophobia and bigotry should not be allowed.